# Fire vs. Nexus 7



## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

I decided I needed a Nexus 7, mainly because when Runner's World comes in, I have a hard time getting the Fire away from DH. Plus, it's a new toy...and I always need new toys .

Just thought I'd compare my thoughts on the two. 

The Nexus is MUCH lighter. At least half the weight of the Fire, with 16 gigs of storage (I sprang for the more expensive one). I also like the rounded edges, and it's much thinner than the Fire. It's much easier to hold and read with.

On the Fire, I downloaded GoLauncher. I don't like the carousel, and I'm one of those people that likes to "tweak" Android to make it "my own". So between Go and the Rotating Wallpaper app, the Fire is pretty much the way I want it. But I shouldn't HAVE to do that. 

What I don't like is that to get to books, movies or magazines, I have to go back to the Fire's native launcher. The more I've used the Fire, the more that's just bugged me.

The Nexus's launcher, which I haven't changed to Go, is really slick. Very intuitive, and runs smoothly. It's easy to add apps to the dock, essentially grouping apps together on it.

First thing I downloaded was the Kindle App (of course!). I already had the app on my Android phone, and liked it on there. I like it much better than the app on the Fire.

I've downloaded other apps for it, too, and they run smoothly. I will download the Amazon Market app, so I can get some of the games I have on the Fire to the Nexus.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Fire, but I love the Nexus. Hopefully, the new version of the Fire will compete well with it. For me, it's just a better fit, since I already have an Android phone...particularly since some of my favorite Android apps just aren't compatible with the Fire. 

Maybe it's just "new toy excitement" and it'll pass, and I'll find I like the Fire more, but the lightness and thinness of it makes a HUGE difference. I never thought of the Fire as "clunky" before I received the Nexus...but now it just looks and feels clunky.

If you have both, what are your thoughts?


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

Given my love of new things, I like the Nexus more than the Fire.  

I love the way it feels, the speed, etc.  It feels like a real complete package.  That's not to say the Fire isn't good, or anything like that.  Just, right now, I like the Nexus more.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I'm guessing that Amazon is working on a Fire 2 that will equal or beat the Nexus.

Another consideration is Amazon CS. Most people have a very positive experience with them when something goes bad. Will Nexus back up their product like Amazon does? That's the big question for me.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

I think the three things that are missing from the Fire are camera (not really that important), microphone, and the ability to switch keyboards. None of them are deal breakers. Once you have a tablet that does have those features, those missing features become more noticeable. After having Thumb Keyboard on my 10.1" tablet, and my wife's 7" tablet, using the Fire keyboard was a little odd to use. Hopefully the next gemeration Fire adds a few features that didn't make it on the first generation model.


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

I love my Nexus 7. It feels more like a tablet more so than the Fire. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Fire also. It was my first "tablet," and I loved having an reader that I could use for other things, BUT once I got the Nexus 7 I felt like I'd graduated to a "real" tablet. I received my N7 (16GB) last Thursday; I sold my Fire this evening. I will miss it, but the N7 is much easier for me to use: better web browser, better screen (especially for reading), and I love being able to customize it!


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

JimC1946 said:


> I'm guessing that Amazon is working on a Fire 2 that will equal or beat the Nexus.
> 
> Another consideration is Amazon CS. Most people have a very positive experience with them when something goes bad. Will Nexus back up their product like Amazon does? That's the big question for me.


One thing I doubt the Fire 2 will be able to match the Nexus 7 is the software. I'm pretty sure the Fire won't have Android 4.1 like the Nexus does. Jelly Bean is awesome!

The only thing that made me hesitate on buying the Nexus is customer service should something go wrong. Amazon CS is super, and I'd been trying to hold out for the Fire 2, but I was getting impatient. Hopefully I won't have any issues with the device, but if so I hope that Google's customer service is up to par.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

One of the things I was concerned about would be Google's service. As I was downloading apps last night, every once in awhile I'd get this cryptic error in the Play Store, so this morning, I went to the Nexus website, and there's a "contact us" spot to put a phone number in. Within 30 seconds the phone rang. I was briefly on hold (less than two minutes), and a rep walked me through what to do to correct the error. It was quick and painless.

Jelly Bean is really nice, I must say. It's fast, and the transitions are smooth. I don't feel a need to download a launcher. Between the Amazon app store and Play store, I have all the apps I want on it (so far!).

So far, so good!


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## eneisch (Mar 22, 2009)

I sold my Fire to help offset the cost of my 16GB Nexus 7. While I like the Fire, to me the Amazon OS was too confining. Didn't care much for the carousel and didn't like that it couldn't be customized to suit my needs. 

In my opinion the next version of the Fire needs to be more Android and less Amazon if it wants to succeed. The original fire had an edge because it was the only "real" tablet at the $200 price point. But now there is more competition that it will need to surmount to survive. 

On the other hand, Amazon customer service kicks Google's *ss. I preordered my Nexus 7 the second day of preordering, but I received mine a week after I could have picked one up in stores. People that preordered 1-2 weeks after me had their tablet before I did! Amazon would never operate that way. Also tried calling customer service to see why my order had not been processed yet and had to wait on hold for a half hour. When I finally got through CS was absolutely no help at all.

Also from what I am reading on the Android forums, returning a defective Nexus 7 after the original 15 day return period is not a pleasant experience.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> While I like the Fire, to me the Amazon OS was too confining. Didn't care much for the carousel and didn't like that it couldn't be customized to suit my needs.
> 
> In my opinion the next version of the Fire needs to be more Android and less Amazon if it wants to succeed. The original fire had an edge because it was the only "real" tablet at the $200 price point. But now there is more competition that it will need to surmount to survive.


That's exactly how I feel. Time will tell on the Nexus and Google's service. So far, I am pleased.


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## krm0789 (Dec 21, 2010)

I played with a nexus in staples today. I thought id be in love with the slightly improved/lighter hardware but the software was what got me lusting for one. I have go on my fire but its just not the same. Im tempted to sell the fire for a nexus but hate to hurt its feelings when its been good to me

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## GhiiZhar (May 23, 2010)

First, like most folks here are saying, I like my Fire. In particular, it is optimized for its intended function, and is very easy non-techies to use. 

With that said, I'm a professional geek (IT Manager for a small operation). I like being able to tinker with things. The Nexus is very "tinker friendly".

I also have a Playbook, and iPad. Currently the Nexus is my most "fun" tablet. I attribute that partly to the "New Toy" syndrome.

In my opinion, the Fire is probably the best choice for the typical Amazon customer, but techies are going to like the Nexus more.

Regarding the "thinness" of the Nexus vs the Fire, it's mostly an optical illusion. The Fire is only .9 mm thicker. When I first handled my Nexus, I could have sworn it was half as thin. Then I saw a web article where the author laid them side by side and took a nice shot to demo they were nearly the same.

Here are the official dimensions:

Nexus: 198.5 x 120 x 10.45 mm

Fire:    190.0 x 120 x 11.4 mm


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## eneisch (Mar 22, 2009)

I also consider myself a "gadget geek" and "techie" so I think that's why the Nexus 7 appeals to me more at this point. I still have access to my Kindle books and Amazon music. Since the iPad just got an Amazon Video app (including free Prime streaming) I am holding out hope that they will release one for Android tablets as well. That would really nullify any advantage that the Fire has for me at this point. 

I agree that less technical people are probably better of with the Kindle. Also the icons and some of the text on the Nexus 7 can be pretty small and harder to read.


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

I gave my Fire to my husband since I love my Nexus 7.  I am a Google fan and it is so nice to have the ability to synch between desktop, laptop and tablet with such ease.  I use Google Voice , Gmail, and Google Reader as well as the Google cloud services.  All of those work much better on the Nexus.  

I am also an Amazon fan and use my Kindle Touch the most.  Since I never read books on the Fire there was no edge there.  I did stream from Amazon Prime but find I can do that easily on my ultrabook.  Also all of my Amazon apps work nicely on the Nexus.

That said, I am still in the market for a 10" tablet and I am interested in seeing what the next offering from Amazon may be.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

We just pulled the trigger for a Galaxy Tab 2 7" at Best Buy. The package included a docking keyboard and was the same price ($250) as the Nexus but has a micro SD slot. My wife is loving it right now and it seems to accept most of the Fire apps we're getting for free. I expect we'll get a Nexus when the Christmas products have been revealed, later this year, then she can choose which she prefers. Don't see a Fire in our future, unless Amazon does something really spectacular with their next version.


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

I'm still fascinated by Google Now.  I was looking up a location and phone number for a local business on my desktop and was startled to find a card pop up on my Nexus showing the current drive time to that location.  

I also love the voice search and voice activated keyboard.  I'm surprised at how well it recognizes my words accurately.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I should be flogged for infidelity. I love my Kindle Fire, but I bought a Nexus 7 today. And I love it.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

JimC1946 said:


> I should be flogged for infidelity. I love my Kindle Fire, but I bought a Nexus 7 today. And I love it.


WOW! I didn't see that one coming. LOL What made you decide to buy it? I know your wife both seem to have been very happy wth your Kindle Fires.
CONGRATS. I'm glad you are enjoying your new Nexus.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've always rejected the Fire as not having enough memory for my needs, which involve watching lots of video on airplanes and away from wifi.  The Nexus 7 is only moderately better at having memory for video storage, but I went for it, and on longer trips will depend on connecting to a wifi-capable drive.  The operating system on the Nexus is superior to that on the Fire, at least for the technically savvy.  My expectation is that a Fire replacement that everyone assumes is coming will catch up or conceivably slightly surpass the Nexus 7 on hardware issues, but I'll be very surprised if Amazon can make big improvements to software on the new one (that's just my opinion and I could be very, very wrong).

The one great advantage of the Fire is that it can be used to view Amazon Prime Video, which isn't simple on the Nexus 7 (though I'm told it is possible by simply using the correct web browser).  Personally, I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a Fire right now.  Though I did lay out for a Nexus 7 earlier this week.

Similar to the comments of others on the thread, I've read repeated reports that Google is very difficult to deal with if you want to return or replace a Nexus, but I have no personal experience, or even experience from a personal friend to confirm that.  Customer service is an area where Amazon is supreme, and probably will remain supreme for quite awhile.


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## Cyanide5000 (Aug 30, 2010)

The Nexus 7 is a brilliant bit of kit for the price tag! Im still considering buying one. For reading tho (especially in sunny places) I just cant beat eInk


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

gadgetgirl003 said:


> WOW! I didn't see that one coming. LOL What made you decide to buy it? I know your wife both seem to have been very happy wth your Kindle Fires.
> CONGRATS. I'm glad you are enjoying your new Nexus.


It all got started three weeks ago, when one of my sisters asked me about a 7" tablet to replace her laptop when she traveled. I had previously shown her my Kindle Fire, but I recommended that she also consider the new Nexus 7. She bought the Nexus and loved it. I played with her Nexus for a while (big mistake!) and I fell in love with it. I've always been a gadget person, so I bought one yesterday. Being as objective as I can, it's a better tablet than the Fire, but of course, Google/Asus had the advantage of hearing what consumers wanted changed about the Fire, and they took it to heart (examples: Bluetooth and volume control switch). I downloaded the Amazon App Store onto the Nexus and reinstalled my Fire apps. With the Amazon Kindle app and MP3 app, I can access all my books and music from the Cloud. For now at least, I don't think the Nexus will stream Amazon videos, but that may be in the offing.

I imagine Amazon is well underway with a Kindle Fire 2, and I wouldn't be surprised if it surpasses the Nexus 7.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

I've had mine for awhile now, and couldn't be happier. As others have said, the OS is extremely smooth. On my Android phone, I can't stand the stock launcher, but I love the launcher on the Nexus. It's also much, much lighter than the Fire (or at least it seems that way to me). It's much more comfortable to read for long stretches of time. I, too have the Amazon App Store installed, and can download the freebie apps I've taken advantage of. So far, I have only found one app that isn't compatible with the Nexus, but I think that will probably be updated soon. I haven't missed the videos, since I can see those on the Fire...but my laptop has an HDMI port, so I can plug that directly into the TV to watch movies on the big screen whenever I want.

I still have my Fire (which DH uses quite a bit), and I still have my Touch, but to be honest, I haven't read on the Touch in weeks, either, unless i'm outside. I do keep the ebooks updated on the Touch, and organized in my collections.

So far, the Nexus is the perfect tablet for me.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Hoosiermama said:


> It's [Nexus] also much, much lighter than the Fire (or at least it seems that way to me).


*Kindle Fire*: 413 gm (14.6 oz)

*Nexus 7*: 340 gm (12.0 oz)


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Wow!  That is significantly lighter.  

And it's the sort of thing that's hard to tell when you're looking at a store, because they always have them tied down with a heavy cable.


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Wow! That is significantly lighter.
> 
> And it's the sort of thing that's hard to tell when you're looking at a store, because they always have them tied down with a heavy cable.


The Loss Prevention Supervisor I worked with at Best Buy in CA was a former Marine... he quite enjoyed trying to figure out new and exciting ways to outsmart the would be thieves! LOL!!!


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Don't have one yet, but why I'm SERIOUSLY considering the Nexus 7 (8GB version) [Really glad to have discovered this thread; those of you who have both the Fire & a Nexus 7 have given me great info & moved me that much closer to purchasing a Nexus]:

I'm slightly geeky, a gadget-


Spoiler



whore


 and love to tinker but am not real comfortable rooting (I let my son do that {wink}).
I'm really interested in the Jelly Bean OS.
I've got the Kingston Wi-Drive 32 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WID/32GBZ to store vids on, so I'd get the 8Gb version.
I LOVE both the Google & Amazon environments.
I've been able to stream Amazon Video content on my HTC Thunderbolt smartphone just by using & tweaking the Dolphin Browser; http://www.simplemobilereview.com/how-to-amazon-prime-instant-video-on-android/, which I don't see any way that Amazon's TOS is violated. 
I have a Fire, and a Touch. I regularly loan out the Touch to a friend so she can read the Kindle content that I've amassed; I primarily read Kindle content on my HTC smartphone & no longer on a dedicated Kindle device; I use my Fire for a cookbooks and video consumption. I can read on my smartphone outside by turning the background to white/text to black & eliminate (for me at least) eyestrain indoors by turning the background to black/text to white.
I'm really interested in also having a tablet with a front camera to use Skype & bluetooth so that I could both use a bluetooth keyboard & load alternate keyboards onto the Nexus if I didn't like the native keyboard.
With GPS, if I enable my smartphone's WIFI hot-spot, I'd have an awesome navigation system with Google maps.

(I'd probably pass my Fire on to one of my kids)


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> I'm really interested in also having a tablet with a front camera to use Skype & bluetooth so that I could both use a bluetooth keyboard & load alternate keyboards onto the Nexus if I didn't like the native keyboard.


Now that you mention keyboards, I think that was one of my major frustrations with the Fire. I just could NOT type accurately on the keyboard. Even when I'd watch and see which key highlighted when I pressed, another would show up...and I'd spend more time editing what I tried to type. Even just a quick message on a message board ended up to be a frustration. I bought a stylus, thinking that would help. It didn't. The native keyboard on the Nexus is really accurate. I'm using the native one, but there are other options available in Settings, and others to download from the Play Store.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Here's an article about a special cable that lets you attach many USB devices to a Nexus 7.

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57475307-285/clever-adapter-connects-usb-accessories-to-your-android-device/

I ordered one from Amazon yesterday. Incredibly, it costs 62¢ from Amazon with free shipping (figure that out!). And it ships from Hong Kong, so it will take a while to get here.


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

JimC1946 said:


> Here's an article about a special cable that lets you attach many USB devices to a Nexus 7.
> 
> http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57475307-285/clever-adapter-connects-usb-accessories-to-your-android-device/
> 
> I ordered one from Amazon yesterday. Incredibly, it costs 62¢ from Amazon with free shipping (figure that out!). And it ships from Hong Kong, so it will take a while to get here.


This is really interesting. Have you or do plan to root your Nexus 7? I see that in addition to the Amazon link in the article, there is also  *THIS*  65 cent item listed as a "host mode" OTG cable. It has more reviews including one with comments about the ability to use it on certain peripherals without rooting.


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## scott99 (Dec 30, 2011)

This was really tough for me, because I defended this awesome tablet (Kindle Fire) to the death. I bought it 2 days after Christmas, and used it almost every day there after. Being it was my first tablet, I was in awe of it's capabilities (watching episodes of The Walking Dead on a train was so cool), even iPad users liked it when I showed it to them. My only frustrations were the lack of good games on the Amazon App store, and the lack of making changes without rooting or downloading the Go Launcher. So basically, I almost felt like I was too confined by the Amazon OS. 

After seeing the Nexus 7 during Google's Roadshow, and hearing about it's specs and what was under the hood, and at that price range, I pre ordered a 16gb Nexus 7, and it has barely left my hand since I got it July 14th. To me, it's the perfect tablet, it does everything I need it to do, super fast, super smooth, and a way more open world than Amazon's. I do miss the free Amazon Prime's content, and I do feel the Amazon Market has more movies and TV shows, but I have Netflix, so I'm not hurting for content. As my coworker who bought one also says, The Nexus 7 is like a real computer, you can do practically everything with it. 

The addition of Bluetooth opens up a lot of possibilities also. And my goodness, when you see a game like Dead Trigger running on this thing, it's pure Tegra 3, Quad Core goodness. 

On a side note, I'm sure the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 is going to be amazing, probably similar specs to the Nexus 7, and I'm sure the iPad mini is going to be amazing too, but I don't think I will have any need to move from the Nexus 7, there isn't a thing I don't like about it, and I haven't found anything it can't do, as far as what I use it for (pretty much everything).


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Susan J said:


> This is really interesting. Have you or do plan to root your Nexus 7? I see that in addition to the Amazon link in the article, there is also  *THIS*  65 cent item listed as a "host mode" OTG cable. It has more reviews including one with comments about the ability to use it on certain peripherals without rooting.


No plans to root it. Thanks for the link. Heck, I just ordered one of those, too. Good grief, how can they sell anything for $0.65, including shipping from halfway around the world?


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

scott99 said:


> This was really tough for me, because I defended this awesome tablet (Kindle Fire) to the death.


Same with me, and I have two of them. But when I played around with my sister's Nexus 7, I didn't want to give it back. I have no doubt that Amazon is going to create something just as amazing with the Kindle Fire 2, but for now, the Nexus 7 is at the top of the heap.


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

JimC1946 said:


> No plans to root it.


Apparently it is not necessary now with an  *APP * from the Google Play store called Nexus Media Importer. I just saw a video for this on the Nexus 7 forum.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

Just ordered one, too. The other thing I like about the Nexus? The cases for my Fire also fit the Nexus. I'm curious to see what Amazon has at the September 6th press conference (do not buy...do not buy...do not buy)


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

Oh, so Sept. 6th is the big day.  Last year I bought the Fire and Kindle Touch during the press conference.      I might be tempted again but I am so amused by the Nexus that it would really take something special.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

After yesterday's announcements, I decided to go with the Nexus 7; I've got the OG Fire and really want to return to the full Android (and Jelly Bean) experience.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I finally saw a Nexus 7 in person this week.  It looked spiffy - but getting 32GB of memory for the same price as 16GB on the Nexus really pushes me towards the 7" Fire HD.  If I do anything at all - and being a bit of a gadget ho, I suspect I will do something - I'll wait & see if the Apple Mini becomes a reality and what the specs and pricing are there.  I'm happy with my Fire, but I see a new 7" tablet under my Christmas tree...


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## Susan J (May 14, 2010)

CegAbq said:


> After yesterday's announcements, I decided to go with the Nexus 7; I've got the OG Fire and really want to return to the full Android (and Jelly Bean) experience.


Now that I've seen the new Kindle Fire offerings, I'm glad that I went ahead with the Nexus 7 purchase. I really love Jellybean and the only things that I like better on the new Fire are the dual band wifi and the high def camera. However, I love being able to download the Google maps to use offline and having the built in GPS for other apps too. I did order the paperwhite, though, and am really looking forward to getting that.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

I'm glad I have the Nexus, too. The new Fires look nice, but that darned carousel drives me nuts. Prime videos aren't a dealbreaker for me not being accessible from the Nexus, although there are ways to get to them.

Nexus with the Kindle app and Amazon app store works great for me. I have every app I want without sideloading anything.

I'm loving jellybean! This is the smoothest Android I've used. Problem for me is my phone now seems to run clunkily in comparison, and I cannot wait to update it!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Hoosiermama said:


> I'm loving jellybean! This is the smoothest Android I've used. Problem for me is my phone now seems to run clunkily in comparison, and I cannot wait to update it!


I so totally agree! The Nexus 7 is a great little device. I'll hang on to my Fire for Prime video content, but otherwise, I love this. The 7 is so responsive & I've gotten a bluetooth keyboard to use in meetings - it's great. I did wait until the Amazon press conference on the 6th, but afterwards I realized that I really wanted to return to a truer Android OS experience.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

We had to scrub our plans for a vacation this year, so my wife indulged me and I used part of the vacation money to buy both a Nexus 7 and a Kindle Fire HD.  I figured I would play with both of them, then sell my least favorite. Now the problem is that I love both tablets and can't decide which to sell. I'll probably keep both and have a backup.

Each tablet has its strong points. I can't really say which one I prefer.


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