# What do you hate about the Fire?



## jlward

Hey everyone, I'm going to be making a trip to Wal-Mart to test drive a Fire tomorrow. It seems that people either love the Fire or hate it. Can you tell me the things I should be trying out tomorrow to find out which camp I fall into? I love the idea of buying a Fire because I already own a lot of videos through Amazon. I just need to figure out if a first generation Fire is the way to go or not.

Thanks for your help.

John


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## kisala9906

I like it but it wont replace my iPad at all !! One thing I don't like is the carousel because you can't delete things off of it and I hate having every book I have on my kindle on it but that's just me. It's a great device for the price tho!


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## jd78

I don't know if there is anything about the Fire that I "hate" about the Fire, but a I do have a few minor cons in mind. These are my overall cons about the device and software and I realize that some of these have absolutely nothing to do with Amazon.

"Core" Apps cannot be removed.
Magazines aren't full screen.
Carousel cannot be edited or reset (at least not that I can find).
Side-loaded app icons look distorted in the Carousel.
Silk browser bottom bar does not "hide".
Bluetooth and SD Slot are only features it's missing that I would actually want.
I wish the Kindle Fire name was at the top of the device above the screen. Mainly so I know which way is up and down. Sometimes I misplace the power button because the device looks EXACTLY the same whichever way it's turned.

The list may look kind of long, but most of that stuff is very minor. I used to own both the iPad 1 and 2 and it's an awesome tablet.  I think it help me discover what my actual tablet usage is and the Fire fits in nicely to my needs. As much as I like it now, I really think it can only get better and at this price point, it's much easier to upgrade to the newest Fire every year (if they upgrade annually) than it is to upgrade iPads.


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## Jeansaint

Here is my input based on 2 days of playing with the Fire

Favorite things
1. Very portable
2. Amazon's extensive Kindle book and app store
3. Price!
4. Video quality and streaming is excellent
5. Very user friendly right out of the box 

Least favorite
1. Carousel design (fixed with Go launcher)
2. No physical volume button 
3. Battery life seems short ( I am only getting about ~5 hours or so on a full charge, but its only my first charge so that may be a fluke)
4. A little on the heavy side (But maybe I am just too used to my K2)


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## monkeyluis

I don't think people hate it or love it.  I think they love it or "meh" it.  I think it's great.  I wouldn't say love, I wouldn't say "meh" either.

I have an iPad 2 and it's still my "primary" tablet.  But I think the Fire is a great in-between of the iPhone and the iPad...of my devices.

I will continue to use the Fire more though and it will definitely be an ereader for me, as well as my Kindle Touch.  

I think it's a beautiful device and easy to use, easy access to content and a great ecosystem.


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## CrystalStarr

I HATE the carousel.  That's about it.


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## Lambert

I like the Fire. Good for videos.

It is pretty heavy. It seems as heavy as my DX.

Lots of finger prints. 

Sometimes it just doesn't take when I touch a button. Frustrating. Especially small ones like the settings.

Can't delete the covers. I think this will be fixed pronto though if Amazon is smart... and they are.


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## luvmy4brats

I like the idea of the carousel, I just don't like it's current form. We should be able to sort, show device items only and DELETE. 

I can't say that I love the Fire, but I do like it quite a bit. It won't ever replace my iPad, but I have a feeling I'll be streaming videos on my fire while playing on my iPad.


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## Seamonkey

There is another thread started by Meemo that tells how to do away with the carousel.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,91946.0.html


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## BTackitt

2 peeves.
1. no categories for organizing books.
2. reading is just not as nice as on my K.

These 2 things mean the K will be a toy really for me, and my K will still be my goto reading device.


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## Ann in Arlington

Ya know. . . .I find it's a real waste of energy to 'hate' inanimate objects. 

I agree with Luv about the carousel. . . .really like the idea, but wish there were a way that it only showed _some_ things and not the thousands of things I have stored/used -- including web pages, apps, books, etc. That makes it a bit less useful to me. But I still think it's a cool interface.

I think the screen is really nice!

I would like to remove a couple of apps that I know I'll never use, but, whatever. . . . that's a minor quibble as it doesn't take much space.

I've found a stylus -- which you can buy for pretty cheap anywhere -- work better than my finger for selecting things. I got a pack of three on the theory that I'll probably lose at least one.  You just need the ones that say they work with capacitive touch screens.


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## malligator

I don't hate the Fire at all, but I did return mine. It's the first tablet I've ever owned and it showed me I really like having a tablet. Unfortunately, if I'm going to have a tablet it's going to be an iPad. I have my Kindle for reading and I'll have an iPad for tablet computing. I didn't need the amalgamation of the two.

I think Amazon will do really well with the Fire. It's definitely a 1.0 device, but it's got amazing potential. Moving my iTunes music to the Amazon Cloud and then to the Fire was easy. Buying enough storage for all my music is reasonably priced. The Amazon Prime streaming service worked well, but like Netflix streaming, it's a little sparce on first-run programs. It's got a nice App collection and the web browser works well.

My only real complaints were that:

1. It locked up hard a couple of times. It was easy enough to reboot, though. Actually, I think the device wasn't locked up, but the touchscreen was.
2. The aim on the touchscreen was off. I had to touch a little above things to get them to activate.
3. A lot of times buttons didn't activate on the first...second...or even third time I pushed them. The button would animate like it'd been pressed, but it didn't actually respond.


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## jlward

I've just returned from trying one out in person. Thanks for all of the tips about exactly what to test out and what to look for. All in all I really like the device. Sure, some things could be better, but for what it is, it's great.

Can anyone tell me how the free month of Prime membership works? Do you receive that when you activate the Fire? I'm just wondering whether I need to purchase it from Amazon to get that or if I can buy it from a local retailer and still receive it.


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## QuantumIguana

I looked at it in the store. Still tempted, but I didn't like the glare on the screen. I'd like a tablet, but I don't think it would replace e-ink as my primary e-reader if I got a Fire. I do wish it came with an SD slot though.


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## sarlen

jlward said:


> I've just returned from trying one out in person. Thanks for all of the tips about exactly what to test out and what to look for. All in all I really like the device. Sure, some things could be better, but for what it is, it's great.
> 
> Can anyone tell me how the free month of Prime membership works? Do you receive that when you activate the Fire? I'm just wondering whether I need to purchase it from Amazon to get that or if I can buy it from a local retailer and still receive it.


As soon as I activated my Fire the free month of Prime was enabled.


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## jlward

I don't really consider the Fire a replacement for my Kindle reading device. In my opinion, the e-ink Kindles are far superior to any tablet (including the current generation iPad) simply because of how legible the text is and the battery life. I am thinking about the Fire for multimedia and e-mail. 

I realize that the iPad is probably better at multimedia and e-mail, but I'm not sure if it's possible to get access to all of the videos I've purchased from Amazon on an Apple device since they have forbidden Flash. And that's why the Fire seems like a good solution to me for what I'm wanting a tablet to do.


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## malligator

jlward said:


> I don't really consider the Fire a replacement for my Kindle reading device. In my opinion, the e-ink Kindles are far superior to any tablet (including the current generation iPad) simply because of how legible the text is and the battery life. I am thinking about the Fire for multimedia and e-mail.
> 
> I realize that the iPad is probably better at multimedia and e-mail, but I'm not sure if it's possible to get access to all of the videos I've purchased from Amazon on an Apple device since they have forbidden Flash. And that's why the Fire seems like a good solution to me for what I'm wanting a tablet to do.


Forgive my ignorance, but why do you need Flash to watch purchased movies? They should all be in some sort of video compression container such as mpeg-4. Also, keep in mind that Adobe has officially killed Flash for mobile devices so sooner or later Flash will be dead on tablets and smartphones. That said, I'm not trying to push you to an iPad. The Fire is a great device, especially if your video content is from Amazon.


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## KindleChickie

The volume control is a real issue.  Imagine you start watching a movie on netflix and need to adjust you volume.  You have to open up settings, which will take you away from netflix, adjust volume and then return to netflix only to wait while the movie reloaded.


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## malligator

KindleChickie said:


> The volume control is a real issue. Imagine you start watching a movie on netflix and need to adjust you volume. You have to open up settings, which will take you away from netflix, adjust volume and then return to netflix only to wait while the movie reloaded.


I learned that the hard way. I was playing with my Fire while my wife was watching TV. I started a video and realized it was very loud. It took way too long to turn the volume down. Not a big deal to her, but I still felt rude for disrupting with something that should have been easily remedied with volume buttons or a mute button.


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## jlward

malligator said:


> Forgive my ignorance, but why do you need Flash to watch purchased movies? They should all be in some sort of video compression container such as mpeg-4. Also, keep in mind that Adobe has officially killed Flash for mobile devices so sooner or later Flash will be dead on tablets and smartphones. That said, I'm not trying to push you to an iPad. The Fire is a great device, especially if your video content is from Amazon.


Currently, Amazon uses the Flash player if you stream a video through your browser to play the movie back. The Fire may do it differently... I'm not sure since the Fire I used wasn't online.

Adobe has killed mobile Flash, but how many years will it be before companies start switching everything over to HTML 5? Amazon has lots of security to limit or restrict your ability to download purchased videos for playback on just any machine. You're only allowed to download the video to one machine and if you want to watch the movie on another device you have to stream it... and if you are streaming content from Amazon, you have to do it in Flash (at least on the PC you do). One day this will not be an issue, but today is not that day.


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## jd78

KindleChickie said:


> The volume control is a real issue. Imagine you start watching a movie on netflix and need to adjust you volume. You have to open up settings, which will take you away from netflix, adjust volume and then return to netflix only to wait while the movie reloaded.


Um, I just tested this... All you have to do when you have the Netflix video playing is tap the screen which will display the top bar. Then tap on the settings "gear" icon and the drop down shows the slider option and I believe the volume slider comes up by default. This all happens without leaving the movie or Netflix app and takes seconds.


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## jd78

jlward said:


> Currently, Amazon uses the Flash player if you stream a video through your browser to play the movie back. The Fire may do it differently... I'm not sure since the Fire I used wasn't online.
> 
> Adobe has killed mobile Flash, but how many years will it be before companies start switching everything over to HTML 5? Amazon has lots of security to limit or restrict your ability to download purchased videos for playback on just any machine. You're only allowed to download the video to one machine and if you want to watch the movie on another device you have to stream it... and if you are streaming content from Amazon, you have to do it in Flash (at least on the PC you do). One day this will not be an issue, but today is not that day.


The Fire uses a built in app to play it's videos. I don't know if it's powered by flash or not, but it does not require the browser at all.


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## raccemup

No Hate here! I got nothing but love for my Fire!  I also have realistic expectations of what it does and doesn't do at its price point. 

I see a lot of people hating the carousel. I don't hate or love it... it just sort of IS. 

I will say that I won't do any actual book reading on it and can't really imagine anyone using it as a primary READER. I also knew that going in and have my K3 for that!


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## Alice Coyl

KindleChickie said:


> The volume control is a real issue. Imagine you start watching a movie on netflix and need to adjust you volume. You have to open up settings, which will take you away from netflix, adjust volume and then return to netflix only to wait while the movie reloaded.


I turn the volume up full and use earphones that have a volume control switch in the cord. Works nice. I turn the volume completely down if not watching movies or something that requires sound.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Ann in Arlington said:


> Ya know. . . .I find it's a real waste of energy to 'hate' inanimate objects.


Well, I think there's a difference between hating the Fire and hating an attribute of the Fire. 

That being said, I don't think there's anything I really "hate" about the Fire, but there are some things I certainly think could be improved.

Betsy


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## Shadin

I really wish it had volume controls on the side.


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## Alle Meine Entchen

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Well, I think there's a difference between hating the Fire and hating an attribute of the Fire.
> 
> That being said, I don't think there's anything I really "hate" about the Fire, but there are some things I certainly think could be improved.
> 
> Betsy


same here. I've only had mine for a little while, but I can def see somethings that I would like to improve (Carousel being the main thing). I can tell it's a 1.0 as others have said. I'm hoping they'll do an update soonish w/ all the feedback from the users.


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## Betsy the Quilter

I'd like easier control of the volume.  As it is unlikely that my Fire will sprout any additional buttons,  I would be satisfied with the ability to swipe across the screen, for example, up or down to change the volume.

Or at least something to tap that is bigger than the head of a pin.  

Betsy


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## KindleChickie

jd78 said:


> Um, I just tested this... All you have to do when you have the Netflix video playing is tap the screen which will display the top bar. Then tap on the settings "gear" icon and the drop down shows the slider option and I believe the volume slider comes up by default. This all happens without leaving the movie or Netflix app and takes seconds.


Glad it works for you, but it does not for me. My movie has to reload each time I adjust the volume.


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## jd78

KindleChickie said:


> Glad it works for you, but it does not for me. My movie has to reload each time I adjust the volume.


That's strange... My movie continued to play and did not miss a step. The only thing was part of the screen was obstructed the few moments it took for me to do that. Are you using the Netflix app from Amazon's Appstore or a side loaded app? If it's the Netflix app from Amazon, try uninstalling and re-downloading/installing.


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## Betsy the Quilter

KindleChickie said:


> Glad it works for you, but it does not for me. My movie has to reload each time I adjust the volume.


It shouldn't work like that, KC...I would suggest you delete the app from your device and reinstall. Perhaps reboot the device, too... (as jd78 has suggested).

All I have to do is tap the screen, tap the gear, adjust the volume, tap the screen and hit "Play" again, all within Netflix.

Betsy


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## jd78

Betsy the Quilter said:


> It shouldn't work like that, KC...I would suggest you delete the app from your device and reinstall. Perhaps reboot the device, too... (as jd78 has suggested).
> 
> All I have to do is tap the screen, tap the gear, adjust the volume, tap the screen and hit "Play" again, all within Netflix.
> 
> Betsy


Thanks Betsy, I do believe I forgot to mention that hitting the gear automatically pauses the movie, but when you press play again it immediately plays the video and does not require (or atleast none of the times I tried it) any sort of reloading.


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## Betsy the Quilter

jd78 said:


> Thanks Betsy, I do believe I forgot to mention that hitting the gear automatically pauses the movie, but when you press play again it immediately plays the video and does not require (or atleast none of the times I tried it) any sort of reloading.


  I wondered...'cause I did have to hit the play. 

Betsy


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## swpubl

I understand it is not at all in competition with an Ipad on any level so I will just use my Ipad. Anyone have a reason to have both the fire and the Ipad?? Ernie S


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## Betsy the Quilter

Tapatalk is an app for participating in online forums on a mobile device.  It pares down the view of the foeum to the essentials.

I have an iPad and a Fire, and plan on using the Fire for media consumption.  The iPad is my primary computing device these days...

Betsy


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## Sherlock

raccemup said:


> No Hate here! I got nothing but love for my Fire! I also have realistic expectations of what it does and doesn't do at its price point.
> 
> I see a lot of people hating the carousel. I don't hate or love it... it just sort of IS.
> 
> I will say that I won't do any actual book reading on it and can't really imagine anyone using it as a primary READER. I also knew that going in and have my K3 for that!


What she said! The more I use it, the easier it is and the more I like it. It won't kill the iPad - I don't think it was ever meant to. It's apples and oranges because they are two different devices with two different purposes. The Fire's main purpose is to consume Amazon content. Anything else it does is simply icing on the cake. I had an iPad 2 that I traded in at Amazon before I got my Fire. This works for me because I'm not a techie and I want to use it the way it was designed. Might not work for others, but it does for me. There are a few things I think could be improved, but overall I love it!


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## Sunnie

No TTS (text to speech) for reading, despite an Amazon Kindle c.s. rep telling me in September it would have it.

Sorry.  sad.grim.pathetic.  

It's going back.


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## KindleChickie

jd78 said:


> That's strange... My movie continued to play and did not miss a step. The only thing was part of the screen was obstructed the few moments it took for me to do that. Are you using the Netflix app from Amazon's Appstore or a side loaded app? If it's the Netflix app from Amazon, try uninstalling and re-downloading/installing.


Yes, now have you actually watched a movie any any amount of time and tried to adjust volume or did you just start a movie and immediately try to adjust volume? Because I am thinking you simply started a movie, adjusted the volume one, and then came to tell me how "strange" my post was.... 

The volume is an issue for me. It causes my netflix to have to reload when I adjust it.

I also do not care for the magazine apps that show up in the app section and not the newsstand.

Or the apps that you download then go to open and it will not allow it until you have wifi.

And finally, REALLY do not care for how it handles audible books. I think Amazon did a poor job. When I open the audible app, my entire library shows up. If I am away from wifi I really do not need to pick thru 100 or so books just to find the 2 to 3 that are already downloaded. Because I have to be particular with such a small hard drive. And why is it that my iDevices are not counted towards my limit of 3 mobile devices? Anything that I sync thru iTunes is not counted as a mobile device. If anything, Kindles should be an uncounted mobile device since Amazon is Audible.

But then again, these are my opinion and my grievances. You do get that right? My opinion. Not a right or wrong absolute?


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## krm0789

Re: netflix and volume, changing the volume pauses my video but doesn't require reload. Strange that there are all different behaviors

Ahem, missed the extra page of the thread so disregard this, as I cant figure out how to delete from this app
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## BasicGreatGuy

Listening to music via Pandora works well. The volume is fine. When watching movies, the volume appears to be much lower, even though the volume setting isn't changed.


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## Ephany

Things I dislike:

1) The carousel. Too busy and cluttered (and now thanks to the lovely people here I can fix it  )
2) No collections. I miss my collections.
3) The fact that you swipe right to left and then have to press 'ok' to access the main screen. I know this is petty, but what's wrong with left to right like every other device I own?
4) Volume control is awkward
5) The screen glare/fingerprints. 

Overall I'm happy with it and I'm glad I bought it, just want the ability to customize a bit.


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## jd78

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I wondered...'cause I did have to hit the play.
> 
> Betsy


Yeah, I re-read what I wrote and realized that It came out wrong. I was trying to say my video did not require reloading that it was simply paused.


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## Jesslyn

I could do without the carousel. Id love a homepage of favorites with those individual pages in the back. I. Also like to be able to sort and organize books and the page view of the browser favorites.  I have no doubt that Amazon will continuously improve and update the UI. (I still have my old Kindle 1!)

I am hoping that the larger model rumored to be releasing next year is a 'deluxe' version that will replace my izPad.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## Jesslyn

Oh, and re fingerprints? I stopped noticing them on my iPad after a couple of months. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## Betsy the Quilter

KindleChickie said:


> Yes, now have you actually watched a movie any any amount of time and tried to adjust volume or did you just start a movie and immediately try to adjust volume? Because I am thinking you simply started a movie, adjusted the volume one, and then came to tell me how "strange" my post was....
> 
> The volume is an issue for me. It causes my netflix to have to reload when I adjust it.


KindleChickie--

It's entirely understandable to be upset about things that don't work right. I don't see where anyone has said you don't have that right.

It's clear to me that jd78 was commenting that the Netflix behavior you were experiencing was strange, not your post. Like me in an earlier post, he was only trying to troubleshoot the problem you were having with the sound on your Netflix...neither he nor I have experienced what you did. We both are trying to help with that one issue. And yes, I was in the middle of watching a movie, and tried adjusting the sound. Several times. And started a new movie. And adjusted the sound several times. And never had to reload the movie.

Have you tried removing the app and reinstalling it? Or shutting down your Fire completely and restarting it? Or is the aggregate of the things that are bothering you about the device enough that you don't care to try to resolve the Netflix issue?

Just trying to help... 

Betsy


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## jd78

KindleChickie said:


> Yes, now have you actually watched a movie any any amount of time and tried to adjust volume or did you just start a movie and immediately try to adjust volume? Because I am thinking you simply started a movie, adjusted the volume one, and then came to tell me how "strange" my post was....
> 
> The volume is an issue for me. It causes my netflix to have to reload when I adjust it.


I'm sorry, this has been a bad week for on Kindleboards it seems.

Like Betsy said, I was referring to your experience being strange, not your post. I was halfway through the move Tangled (I swear I was playing it for my son), when I upped the volume (can't remember why at the time). I didn't think anything of it until I read your post and tried it again in two other movies (but those times I just started a movie and changed the volume). In all instances the movie simply pauses when the "gear" icon is selected, I use the volume slider, and then I hit play and the movie continues as expected.

I really really don't think what you are experience is the norm, and if it can't be resolved I would contact Amazon for possibly a replacement or something.


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## CegAbq

jlward said:


> Amazon has lots of security to limit or restrict your ability to download purchased videos for playback on just any machine. You're only allowed to download the video to one machine and if you want to watch the movie on another device you have to stream it... and if you are streaming content from Amazon, you have to do it in Flash (at least on the PC you do). One day this will not be an issue, but today is not that day.


I have several purchased TV episodes from Amazon; I have downloaded those same episodes onto 2 different Motorola Windows phones, 1 Android HTC phone, 1 netbook, and now my Fire. I haven't had any problems at all.


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## CegAbq

swpubl said:


> Anyone have a reason to have both the fire and the Ipad?? Ernie S


Well, if you are a Prime member, I don't think you can stream the Prime Instant Video content on an iPad, can you?


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## jd78

CegAbq said:


> Well, if you are a Prime member, I don't think you can stream the Prime Instant Video content on an iPad, can you?


To my knowledge there is no Amazon VOD app for the iPad.


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## ellesu

The power button was an aggravation to me - until I put my Fire in its cover.  Problem resolved.  That said, I still question the placement. 

Considering the price point, I'm giving Amazon leeway.  I have a sneaking feeling we'll see a new Amazon tablet soon with many of the features we're mentioning, but at higher price point.  Sneaky, sneaky Amazon - but I luv 'em anyway.


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## William G. Jones

I have really slow DSL. 768k down service, actually. Netflix streams beautifully in SD through my PS3. It looks like garbage on my Fire. Oddly, Amazon Prime streaming video looks beautiful on my Fire. 

I know, the solution is to pay $80 for Prime, right? But I'm still looking at Prime primarily as a shipping service, because a) I don't want to pay for both services and b) I don't want to ditch Netflix just as they're bringing on original programming. I'm just not sure the Prime membership will be a value to me just for free 2-day shipping. I don't order that much, and most of what I do order is used.

All that said, if Netflix looked as good on my tablet as it does on my TV, I'd be quite happy with the Fire. But I suppose the only time I'll ever really use the Fire for Netflix will be while traveling, so that shouldn't be a concern.


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## D/W

William G. Jones said:


> I have really slow DSL. 768k down service, actually. Netflix streams beautifully in SD through my PS3. It looks like garbage on my Fire. Oddly, Amazon Prime streaming video looks beautiful on my Fire.


Where did you obtain your Netflix app for Kindle Fire? If you didn't get it from Amazon's Appstore, you may want to uninstall the one you have and install this one because it was developed specifically for the Fire.


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## KindleChickie

Betsy the Quilter said:


> KindleChickie--
> 
> It's entirely understandable to be upset about things that don't work right. I don't see where anyone has said you don't have that right.
> 
> It's clear to me that jd78 was commenting that the Netflix behavior you were experiencing was strange, not your post. Like me in an earlier post, he was only trying to troubleshoot the problem you were having with the sound on your Netflix...neither he nor I have experienced what you did. We both are trying to help with that one issue. And yes, I was in the middle of watching a movie, and tried adjusting the sound. Several times. And started a new movie. And adjusted the sound several times. And never had to reload the movie.
> 
> Have you tried removing the app and reinstalling it? Or shutting down your Fire completely and restarting it? Or is the aggregate of the things that are bothering you about the device enough that you don't care to try to resolve the Netflix issue?
> 
> Just trying to help...
> 
> Betsy


Not sure why you believe I had not tried to ts netflix.

I will reread the thread but I was annoyed because it feels as if people are just trying to prove wrong anyone who dislikes things about the fire. The thraed was pretty specific in asking people their opinions.

Everything on my fire was a direct download from amazon. No sideloading. No off market apps, music, or video.


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## Lisa M.

The thing I hate the most is that Christmas is not here yet so I can't give my daughters' their Fires so I can reclaim mine


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## Ann in Arlington

KindleChickie, I didn't read Betsy's post as not believing you about netflix. . .just trying to answer some questions about why it might not be working. There have been any number of posts over the last 3 years on KB about various things where people have said "I don't like it because. . . ." and come to find out that it actually does whatever it is the person wants, they just haven't figured it out yet.  I think we can all agree that it's really irksome when something doesn't seem to work as you expect it. And I'd guess we all appreciate your frustration. 

<musing=random>One of the values I find of a board like this is that there might be someone who can figure out something I can't. . . .probably a lot of someones, actually!  I fully expect to put the thing in my son's hands (temporarily) on T'Giving and have him explain to me a bunch of stuff I haven't yet. . .he's quick like that!<musing off>

Oh, and to keep this post at least somewhat on topic,  I haven't yet found anything that I dislike enough to warrant returning it. . . .I would like an email app that allowed folders/sorting/rules, but that's a question for another thread, and as it's not my _main_ email device I can live with it. I think I've found a calendar that syncs with Google's calendar, which in turn syncs with my Outlook calendar, so once I get a chance to play with that I'll be all set there. I may change the email address some of my mail comes too, anyway, to wrangle the multiple copies of things that I need to get, but don't need to have on the Fire.


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## Bob327

I'm am a young 68 year old retired guy and the Fire is my first Tablet...

Only received it in the mail Saturday and have already sideloaded a few of my Apps (thanks to this forum for the directions) off my Smart Phone..

I hate the carousel ... BUT that is already gone (again thanks to the info I got on this forum

What I learned from my first 2 days:
1. It will NOT replace my Kindle as a reading device at least while I am not in bed ..
2. Magazines are a little hard to read (purchased a single issue of National Geographic to test magazines)...Pictures were nice but the text was not all that easy to read... so I no not plan on subscribing to any magazines
3. TV shows and Movies work perfectly..But like others have said I do not like the lack of a volume button...will rectify that later today by going to Best Buy and buying earphones with a volume control 
4. The offerings in the Kindle app store (besides the 1000s of games) is not going to cut it for me...

Otherwise it "MAY" be a useful toy for me .. at 200 bucks it was worth the gamble in any case... not going to replace any of my computers for sure.

Bob G


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## jd78

KindleChickie said:


> Not sure why you believe I had not tried to ts netflix.
> 
> I will reread the thread but I was annoyed because it feels as if people are just trying to prove wrong anyone who dislikes things about the fire. The thraed was pretty specific in asking people their opinions.
> 
> Everything on my fire was a direct download from amazon. No sideloading. No off market apps, music, or video.


I'm not going to assume what Betsy was thinking, but from her post it sounds like she was ASKING if you had tried some troubleshooting steps and listed a few. If anything, she was just trying to be helpful...

I also don't think anyone is trying to prove anyone else is wrong. If you say you have a problem on the Fire, then I believe you. However, if I am not having the same problem then we can infer not all Fire/Fire users are experiencing the same problem. As for what would be causing the problem, that would take a little more work to figure out. IF that were your only problem with the Fire then I would contact Kindle support for possibly a replacement or they could assist in troubleshooting. However, I believe you said in another thread that you have already returned it.


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## Ann in Arlington

Bob327 said:


> I'm am a young 68 year old retired guy and the Fire is my first Tablet...
> 2. Magazines are a little hard to read (purchased a single issue of National Geographic to test magazines)...Pictures were nice but the text was not all that easy to read... so I no not plan on subscribing to any magazines


Did you know that you can double tap the screen to zoom in to read the text better. or single tap near-ish to the bottom of the screen and up top you'll get an option for 'text view'? At least, it worked that way with both Discover and Consumer Reports for me. 

Also, the magazines, newspapers and blogs all come with at least a 14 day trial, so you don't have to buy a single issue just to check 'em out.


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## Andra

I don't know that I hate anything about the Fire, but there are some things that I think could be improved (with the existing hardware)


Amazon really dropped the ball when testing the user interface. You have every single thing in my archive showing up on the Carousel with no way to customize it. Do you realize how much stuff I have in my archive after 3+ years of owning a Kindle? (over 1,300 items) I think it was tested with a few items and they went "Cool!" But I've been saying for at least the past year, they really need to figure out how to handle folks who have large amounts of content - we are some of you best customers after all...

I find the sound control to be clunky. I'm not sure why they opted to leave off hardware volume controls, but since they did, I'd like an easier way to quickly change the level or at least mute it.

Allow us more choices for input. The stock keyboard is not very good and they don't give you options to customize it. They also do not allow other input methods, like graffiti or the thumb keyboard.
Allow more customizing overall. I know that they probably want to keep it simple, but most folks like to personalize things a little more than they are allowing us to do with the Fire.


If we are talking about things hardware-related that could be improved:

The location of the power button is weird and it is very easy to press it accidentally when holding it in portrait mode outside of a case.

Add volume control buttons.

ADd memory or at least an SD card slot.

Otherwise I am pretty happy with my Fire. It definitely fits in my purse better than the 10" Xoom.


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## KindleChickie

Ann, I never asked any questions about why it wasn't working.  I made a statement.  The thread topic is pretty specific in asking for opions.


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## legalbs2

I don't hate any thing yet. There are cons though:

Screen too reflective
Cover too slippery
Keyboard a little wonky for punctuation
No external volume control
No way to lock rotation screens
Settings Icon too small
Touch screen too sensitive when scrolling

Carousel needs a way to delete icons, arrange icons etc
Books should have dedicated page and shelves

But, I am enjoying Amazon's first attempt at color and touch screen technology.


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## legalbs2

Did you know you can watch movies streamed through your computer via the Fire to view on your TV?  I have my Mac attached to my TV via a cable to use TV as screen and I can open content on the Fire and watch it on the TV.


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## D/W

legalbs2 said:


> No way to lock rotation screens


On page 4 of the Kindle Fire User's Guide it states:



> *Quick Settings:* Tap to display settings for commonly performed tasks, including *locking and unlocking screen rotation*, adjusting volume, setting display brightness, accessing Wi-Fi settings, syncing, and controlling the playback of music, if a song is currently playing. Tap More to access additional Kindle Fire settings.


The Quick Settings are in the upper right of Fire's screen.


----------



## katy32

DreamWeaver said:


> On page 4 of the Kindle Fire User's Guide it states:
> 
> The Quick Settings are in the upper right of Fire's screen.


so glad i read through this thread, that was my biggest complaint. Off to lock screen rotation now


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## Betsy the Quilter

legalbs2 said:


> Did you know you can watch movies streamed through your computer via the Fire to view on your TV? I have my Mac attached to my TV via a cable to use TV as screen and I can open content on the Fire and watch it on the TV.


So you have the Fire attached via USB? And what movies are you watching? I can view Netflix and Amazon Prime through the computer to the TV without the Fire?

Betsy


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## legalbs2

Betsy the Quilter said:


> So you have the Fire attached via USB? And what movies are you watching? I can view Netflix and Amazon Prime through the computer to the TV without the Fire?
> 
> Betsy


I know, Betsy. I just attached the Fire via USB to my Mac then attached the Mac to the TV to see if whatever I opened on the Fire would appear on the TV. I would not watch movies that way. Just wanted to see how compatible it is.

Also, since the Fire is WiFi, for those who have a WiFi TV, you could stream whatever from your Fire to your TV. Might be fun if you were traveling to someone's house that had a WiFi TV. Just something to think about.

Thanks, Beth


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## legalbs2

DreamWeaver said:


> Since you're talking about watching movies on TV using Fire...
> 
> Does anyone know of a way to get movies directly from the Fire to a TV? I have been considering other tablets that have HDMI for this very reason. If there's some way to do that with the Fire (without having to purchase a computer or other expensive equipment to act as intermediary), that would be fantastic! I know that purchasing a Roku (or similar streaming device) is an option, but it'd been SO nice if there was a way to do it with the Fire!


You might be able to find an HDMI interface that would go down to the port size on the Fire. Check online or at Best Buy.


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## D/W

legalbs2 said:


> You might be able to find an HDMI interface that would go down to the port size on the Fire. Check online or at Best Buy.


I don't have a Kindle Fire, so I can't experiment with this myself.  Are you referring to the USB port on the Fire? It doesn't have an HDMI port.


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## legalbs2

DreamWeaver said:


> I don't have a Kindle Fire, so I can't experiment with this myself.  Are you referring to the USB port on the Fire? It doesn't have an HDMI port.


I was saying that since the Fire does NOT have an HDMI port, that you might be able to find one that attaches via the Fire's USB port to your TV.


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## jd78

legalbs2 said:


> I was saying that since the Fire does NOT have an HDMI port, that you might be able to find one that attaches via the Fire's USB port to your TV.


It would take more than that for it to work. The port, in this case a micro-usb port, would have to be design to output video and I am pretty certain that it is not.


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## John Avery

Thanks for the post, John, and to everyone for their feedback. It's all been very helpful!

john


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## givemelight

Ephany said:


> Things I dislike:
> 
> 1) ...
> 2) ...
> 3) The fact that you swipe right to left and then have to press 'ok' to access the main screen. I know this is petty, but what's wrong with left to right like every other device I own?
> 4)...
> 5) ...
> 
> Overall I'm happy with it and I'm glad I bought it, just want the ability to customize a bit.


If you hold the device oriented with the power button up (as I do), the swipe/unlock is left->right. The unlocked display will then quickly flip over so that it correctly oriented for the "power-button up" position.
FWIW - This also solves the problem of resting the device on a table chair arm or myself and bumping the power button and turning off the display unintentionally.

Cheers,
Gabe


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## Kelvweb

I love my Fire!  I am so glad to have found this board too.

My one wish is for an external volume control.


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## CrystalStarr

CrystalStarr said:


> I HATE the carousel. That's about it.


I don't hate it so much any more. In fact... I rather like it now! The update isn't absolutely perfect! But it sure goes a long way! And we got it pretty quickly. I didn't honestly think we'd see a change until another model came out!


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## HappyGuy

The thing I hate most about the Fire is that I don't have one.

Also, ... ... nope, that's about it.


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## teralpar

CrystalStarr said:


> I didn't honestly think we'd see a change until another model came out!


Me either. I figured the update wouldn't come until early next year.


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## sparklemotion

The things I dislike:

No external volume button
No collections for books
The lack of customization in general
The position of the on/off button
Core Apps not being removable


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## Meemo

I thought I'd miss the volume buttons, but I'm finding I don't actually miss them after all.  Pulling it up in settings is simple enough, it's even easier in Amazon's video app.  Now that I can delete stuff from the Carousel, it's even better.  (And I know what I'll be doing for the next few nights while watching TV...)

I can't think of anything I "hate" about it.  I do wish the entire tablet worked like the Aldiko app - where you change screen brightness by sliding  your finger up and down the left side of the screen.  Even better, add the capability to change the volume the same way on the right side of the screen.  That might not work so well for interactive apps like games, but it would be awesome for apps like readers, video viewers, etc.  

And while Collections would be nice, I'm finding that I'm not putting many books on it anyway, just a few a want to read soon.  I think I'll end up just putting them on it as I'm ready to read them, as opposed to my K3, which has ALL of my unread-but-want-to-read books on it.  And in Collections.  Many Collections.  

I'd love to find a way to change the wallpaper when I'm using the GO Launcher app for my screen launcher.  As much as I like Amazon's pics of pencils, typewriter keys, etc, and I do like them, when I'm looking at a page full of app icons it's tough to pick them out on that busy background.  I can change the wallpaper, but it always reverts to Amazon's stock picks when the Fire goes to sleep.  

I found an email app where I can increase font size, now I need to experiment with some of the other browser apps.  I'll have more time to play again next week when Christmas is done and I'm not pulled in so many directions.  But I'm still very happy with my Fire...ordered it thinking I had until the end of January to decide whether I liked it...but Caliente ain't goin' nowhere!  She's MINE!


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## Hoosiermama

Hate...hmmm....I don't think i HATE anything about it. If I did, I would have sent it back. There are some features I'd love to see added:

1. The ability to group apps in the favorites area. On my phone, there's a dock at the bottom, using an app organizer, I can have the icons point to groups of apps. I'd love to organize my apps into games, organization, multimedia, etc. So I can click the icon and open a folder will all of my games in it.

2. I wish the date displayed with the time at the top. No big deal, but it would be nice...cause opening up my calendar is tooooo much work .

3. A way to get HOME easier. For instance, last night, my wifi connection decided to stop after I hit "post" in Tapatalk here...so it was stuck at trying to post but didn't have a wifi connection to finish it. I couldn't get the icon to come up at the bottom (everything's grayed out in Tapatalk while it's trying to post). I needed a CTRL/ALT/DEL command, so I could kill the task! Stupid me walked into an area of the house that I know the wifi signal can't get to. Last time I post and walk at the same time!

That's pretty much it. The volume control doesn't bother me at all. I like the carousel and wallpapers that Amazon has chosen, so that doesn't bother me. I have an Android phone, and have no interest in putting GO Launcher on the Fire...even though I love it on my phone. I want the Fire to have a completely different look and it does.

I think they did a phenomenal job with the update. They listened to their customers and rolled out the update quickly and smoothly. With my Droid, word of an update will leak out, and it can be weeks before people get it. Sounds like Amazon is not only rolling it out quickly, but made it available for customers to download quickly. Kudos to them for that.


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## pitbullandfire

I got the FIRE the first day it was available at Best Buy and haven't regretted it.  Do I HATE anything, "NO".  There might be some things that surprise me or possibly annoy me, but nothing that can't be covered by one of my other Kindles.  All in all, I like my FIRE and don't regret the purchase at all and especially don't hate anything about it...


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## bordercollielady

Admitting that I have only had it for two days.. but I love the Fire.  What I'm beginning to hate though is that Angry Birds is using up much of my free time previously spent knitting or reading my K3..  Geezz..  how does one wean themself off of this!


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## Betsy the Quilter

I don't hate anything about it, pretty much love it.  I don't care about an external volume button much, but I do wish that there was a play/pause control on the swipe screen...if I'm listening to music or an audiobook and want to pause it, it's multiple steps to do so.

Betsy


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## Rita

I'm loving pretty much everything about the Fire. It's been a great purchase and I don't regret buying it at all.


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## dori chatelain

There is only 2 things I can find that is not my favorite about the fire. 

1 is I waited too long to get it. 
2 The lack of sleep because I am playin with it day and night


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## Seamonkey

No hating, but

Wish it has TTS, but I can deal with that.
Wish I could get my NYTimes Latest News Blog for Kindle on the Fire
I do miss being able to directly go from a book to the details of the book in the store.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Seamonkey said:


> Wish I could get my NYTimes Latest News Blog for Kindle on the Fire


If it's got an RSS feed, you can add it to Google Reader and access it through Pulse. (Although I think NY Times Breaking News, if that's the same thing, is accessible directly through Pulse.)

Betsy


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## fuschiahedgehog

No bluetooth
No MicroSD
The carousel always in my face

But our boys love them, so that's all that matters.


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## bwbollom

I really don't hate anything, but there are a couple that I wish were a little more functional / better. The browser is SLOOOOOW! I installed a different one that doesn't do the silk stuff and it works just fine. But I'm hoping they streamline things with the built in one so I don't have to have a 2nd and can actually use that "web" tab at the top. Also, as many people have said, the carousel could use some modifications. I'd actually prefer if it just had a "no carousel" option, but I would like it it you could at least go to a screen with a list of things in the carousel and check off the ones you want to delete instead of doing it one at a time. As it is, I just rarely / never use it because it's a jumbled mess. If I could easily cull stuff out, I'd probably actually like it. 

Other than that, I'm pretty much loving it!


----------



## Dragle

Of course there is plenty of room for improvement, but I'm still very happy with the Fire. A couple of annoying things: The screen is not very responsive to taps much of the time, and the little gear to get to settings is too small considering how often I need to hit it (adjusting volume and brightness and turning wifi on/off are done frequently).

Carousel: You should be able to either: (a) check boxes in Settings for what types of items appear on the carousel, like: [X]Books on Device, []Books in Cloud, and so on with Docs, Apps, etc. Or (b) have toggle buttons right under the carousel you can tap to interactively filter what items are shown: Books On, Apps Off, etc. Maybe also be able to sort the carousel by Recently used, Alphabetical, etc.

Reading: Even though I do most of my ebook reading on my Kindle 3, the reading experience on the Fire should be improved to:

1. Have collections! -- no technical reason why it couldn't, and they should sync with your other kindle readers.

2. Allow more color combos to make it less painful to read on the LCD, especially need something like black on gray. Sure, there is only so much you can do with this type of screen, and the yellowish background is better than white, but it's still too bright; the white on black is better but still too glaring and starts swimming after a few seconds. But anyway, everyone has a different preference so give us more options on colors.

3. It's great to press on a word in a book and get the definition, but also need the dictionary to function like the other kindles so you can look up any word you want by typing it, seeing the entry list as you type, and then jump to the entry, instead of doing a normal book text search. I've installed the Merriam-Webster dictionary app but shouldn't have had to (plus M-W tracks the words you look up for advertising purposes >:\ yuck)


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Interesting, constructive comments!

Remember you can provide feedback to Amazon by clicking on the gear, "More" > "Help & Feedback."

@bwbottom, On the browser, you can turn off "accelerate page loading" which many find actually speeds up the web browser.  Go to the Web application, tap the menu button on the bottom tool bar, tap on "Settings" and scroll down to the Advanced settings and uncheck "Accelerate page loading."

 I kind of like the Carousel (although I agree that there should be the ability to customize to one's own preferences.)  

I have the Apps I use most often on my Favorites shelves, and flick down to that to access those.  (And I can organize them a bit.) Consequently, it's already at the top when I come in and out of Apps, and I don't see the Carousel very often.  If I use the Newsstand, Books, Music, etc tabs, it does come back with the Carousel on top, but I don't use htose often.  And I use the Carousel as a "most recent" resource so when I want to go back to an app that I don't have on the Favorite shelves, it's right there. 

Many members have been using the GO launcher as an alterantive to the native Fire launcher.  You'll have to allow external apps, get GetJar and then install the GO launcher.

Betsy


----------



## ireadbooks

Dragle said:


> 3. It's great to press on a word in a book and get the definition, but also need the dictionary to function like the other kindles so you can look up any word you want by typing it, seeing the entry list as you type, and then jump to the entry, instead of doing a normal book text search.


Couldn't agree with you more. I actually started a thread about this because I simply couldn't believe there wasn't a standalone dictionary.

I also agree with needing a more responsive screen. It was touchy before, but since the update it seems even worse. I often have to touch things multiple times before it registers, and I have a particularly hard time bringing up the menu bar at the bottom. It's very frustrating.


----------



## MicroBeta

My second biggest gripe is no access to the Android market.  I understand this is an Amazon centric device and I have no problem with that.  However, there are some apps that Amazon doesn’t have that I’d like to install such as the custom ForumRunner or TapaTalk apps for my favorite forums.  In order to get them installed I’m gonna have to root my phone and download the .apk file to my PC and back up to the Fire.  I get the proprietary nature of the OS but until the Amazon App Store has everything the general Android Market has then they need to allow access.

My biggest gripe is no Swype...and no way to install it.  This one I don’t get.  I love this app.  I hate going back to the hunt-n-peck single letter tapping to enter text.  People have tried to add it but there isn’t an option to choose it so it can’t be used by the OS.  I think this one is an actual flaw in their implementation.

My 3.34¢ FWIW.   

Mike

it takes 1.67¢ to make a penny so your 2¢ is really worth 3.34¢


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

People have been putting Frostwire on their phones, I think, to move apks off the phones and onto the Fire? I don't have an Android phone but someone will chime in. I've not heard rooting was involved....

Here's one mention:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,96689.msg1493743.html#msg1493743

However, it was pulled from the Android Market and currently is not available through their website, though it does say, "coming soon..."

Betsy


----------



## Malweth

The USB jack is too close to the headphone jack. A pair of studio phones can't fit next to the power cord!

(via Tapatalk on Kindle Fire)


----------



## Hoosiermama

> However, it was pulled from the Android Market and currently is not available through their website, though it does say, "coming soon..."


Yes, they pulled it from the Android Market and from the Amazon Market just the other day. The version I downloaded from Amazon is 0.5-something. The full updated version is supposed to be coming out (hopefully any day now!) MicroBeta, once it's out, you won't have to root the phone, and it's really easy to work. I've installed many apps from my phone to my Fire.

Edited to add: It's back in the Amazon Market http://www.amazon.com/FrostWire-LLC/dp/B004JOSUMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=mobile-apps&qid=1325680325&sr=1-1


----------



## Ann in Arlington

MicroBeta said:


> My second biggest gripe is no access to the Android market. I understand this is an Amazon centric device and I have no problem with that. However, there are some apps that Amazon doesn't have that I'd like to install such as the custom ForumRunner or TapaTalk apps for my favorite forums. In order to get them installed I'm gonna have to root my phone and download the .apk file to my PC and back up to the Fire. I get the proprietary nature of the OS but until the Amazon App Store has everything the general Android Market has then they need to allow access.
> 
> My biggest gripe is no Swype...and no way to install it. This one I don't get. I love this app. I hate going back to the hunt-n-peck single letter tapping to enter text. People have tried to add it but there isn't an option to choose it so it can't be used by the OS. I think this one is an actual flaw in their implementation.
> 
> My 3.34¢ FWIW.
> 
> Mike
> 
> it takes 1.67¢ to make a penny so your 2¢ is really worth 3.34¢


TapaTalk is available in Amazon's app store: 

So is ForumRunner: 

For other apps there's no need to root the Fire -- just change the setting under 'device' to allow installation of apps from unknown sources. As suggested, Frostwire (liked earlier) can be used to assist with moving files as needed.

As to alternate keyboards, I'd like to use Graffiti. . . . . . . but though it's available it's not compatible with the Fire. I expect as the device evolves these things will become possible.

As to other places to get android apps. . . .getjar has been mentioned frequently as having generally well vetted apps. There's another one two that I don't recall off hand. . . .I admit there's not been anything yet that I couldn't do without that wasn't available via Amazon.


----------



## Meemo

Ann in Arlington said:


> As to other places to get android apps. . . .getjar has been mentioned frequently as having generally well vetted apps. There's another one two that I don't recall off hand. . . .I admit there's not been anything yet that I couldn't do without that wasn't available via Amazon.


1mobile.com is the other source I've used for "outside" apps. Like getjar, they have an app that you can put on the Fire for easy app shopping.


----------



## Steph H

Hey Meemo, how/where do you get the 1mobile app?  GetJar I have, but I don't see one on the 1mobile site (at least, not immediately obvious...I'm probably staring right at it and not seeing it.  )

Thanks, ma'am!


----------



## MicroBeta

Ann in Arlington said:


> TapaTalk is available in Amazon's app store:
> 
> So is ForumRunner:
> 
> For other apps there's no need to root the Fire -- just change the setting under 'device' to allow installation of apps from unknown sources. As suggested, Frostwire (liked earlier) can be used to assist with moving files as needed.


I do have both Forum Runner and and TapaTalk installed. For some reason Forum Runner won't find the forum I'm looking for...probably because they use a custom version but since I can't download the app I can't use it for that forum.

Although, in this case, it's ok because I'm a mod on that forum and using the browser rather than Forum Runner makes it easier to use the mod functions.

The other forums I frequent on Forum Runner & TappaTalk seem to work ok...well almost all of them anyway. 

I wasn't intending on rooting the Fire. There's no need. I have a rooted phone so I can download the Android Market .apk files from the phone to my laptop and then upload to the Fire. Using a file manager app I can then install the app.

My point is it shouldn't be a multi-step process to get apps.



> As to alternate keyboards, I'd like to use Graffiti. . . . . . . but though it's available it's not compatible with the Fire. I expect as the device evolves these things will become possible.


That's the same reason the Swype app doesn't work on the Fire. I've got some pretty big fingers and Swype works some much better for me. When I use our iPhone I text much slower. I was just hoping it was on the Fire.



> As to other places to get android apps. . . .getjar has been mentioned frequently as having generally well vetted apps. There's another one two that I don't recall off hand. . . .I admit there's not been anything yet that I couldn't do without that wasn't available via Amazon.


I've got the apps I want already. I just have to transfer them to the Fire. It's just not as convenient as it should be.

Beside Swype and a minor inconvenience installing apps the Fire is great. So far I use it for reading at home more than my DX. I suspect I'll use the DX for those occasions where glare will be an issue (in the backyard or at the beach) but the Fire go to device most of the time.

Mike


----------



## Tip10

Okay -- late to the party since I just picked up my Fire a couple of days ago and am still very VERY green with it but....

Absolutely HATE the Carousel -- see no useful purpose (other than perhaps a "Gee Whiz ain't that Purty" factor) for it to be taking up valuable real estate and slapping me in the face with everything I've done.  Um yeah, its my device and I know what I've been doing with it -- don't need a system log streaming everything back at me....

Fortunately getting the Go Launcher on and installed was relatively painless -- not to tweak it to how I want to use the device and I'll be good to go.

The only other thing would be a mute button or external volume keys but that's a relatively minor annoyance.

The actual functions of the device -- superb -- no complaints there -- its doing everything I wanted it to and then more. And since I carry a personal hotspot with me via my phone the device being WIFI only isn't all that much of an issue.


----------

