# Kindle Fire - Didn't Work Out



## JoeDiver (Dec 4, 2011)

Well, I haven't been here in a while...but I thought I'd drop by and share....

Today I sold my KF to a friend and fellow sailor in Florida. Just didn't work out for me. Can't say I didn't give it a fair shake as I used it almost daily for 6 months.

Now, this is just my personal opinion and experience...I'm sure others are different and usage patterns will vary....just for me, it didn't measure up. Here's why:

1. Too heavy - I read daily at bed time. It's not unusual for me to read for 2+ hours. The KF has a heft to it...solid device...but my hands would get cramped and my forearm would burn during extended sessions. I would fumble it back and forth alot...with a cover...without a cover...didn't matter.

2. Unused features - I simply only used it for reading books. I rarely ever browsed the web, never listened to music, never watched videos, felt magazines were just not presented well. It did handle PDF's well though. 99% of my use was books.

3. Bleary Eyes - I found that after about an hour of reading, I was much more fatigued then when reading an actual book.

Now, none of this is the KF's fault...it's an excellent device for what it is and can do. The fault lies with me...I bought the wrong device for my actual needs. I failed to identify what I would actually use it for and to buy a product more specific to my needs. For all the things it does, I have other devices I use to do those things: MacBook Pro, iPod, iPhone. And when I lay down to read, I'm done doing those other things for the day.

So, last month I bought a Kindle Touch. While not nearly as capable as the Fire, boy does it meet MY needs so much better! It's super light weight...so comfortable to hold for long periods....and put me in the eInk camp for reading. Yes, much better than backlit devices. eInk is so awesome! I can read for at least 3 hours before starting to get fatigued, although that may be because it's 1:00 am and I should have put the book down and gone to sleep an hour ago...

I've got all my books loaded on my new(ish) Touch....got a nice canvas/leather cover with a sailing theme....little light for it should I need it.....and I'm very happy. I also think my Fire is going to a good home. He's a sailor in Florida who spends alot of time onboard, in/around the marina for wifi, and is excited about using sailing apps, web browsing, book reading, sailing magazines, etc...

So, for me personally the Fire didn't work out...no fault of the Fire...but I have a Touch now I'm very happy with and the Fire is going to a new home.

PS - The battery life on the Touch friggan rocks!!! I've only charged it twice in 5 weeks....including when I first bought it and set it up!


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

I know what you mean. I have a hard time dealing with the weight of the KF. Part of the problem is my perception of it. I see the small size of it and in my head I think, _small-size=light-weight_, until I pick it and the weight and thickness of it surprises me. I've had mine now for about 3 weeks and I still get slightly taken-back by how heavy it is when I pick it up. It's definitely brickish. With that said, I really do like the size of the KF. It may be lunkish but it's small and jammed with a lot of great features and functions that are on an iPad and costs a lot less $$.

To deal with the KF's weight, I have a very light-weight cover that folds into a stand and when I'm sitting down with it on my lap -- to read, surf the web, watch a movie -- I'm not holding it nor do I feel the weight.

As for reading books on the KF, I don't have too much of a problem with that but I haven't spent a lot of time reading on it. I really like my Kindle3 (Keyboard) to read because it is so stinkin light and slim to hold. I also really like the e-ink screen -- looks just like print on paper. If I plan on sitting down to read for awhile I'll pull out my K3.

One thing I really don't like about the KF is that it's a battery hog. It seems like it doesn't take much use before I notice the battery is draining and, for the most part, all I'm doing is surfing the net. I have to charge it every night for the next day. I have an iPad also and its battery holds a charge longer. I know that turning off the Wi-Fi and dimming the display saves a lot of juice but I need the Wi-Fi on for what I use the KF for and for the most part I like a fairly bright screen. That's not much of a problem for the iPad because I can do the same thing on it for 2-3 days before the iPad needs a charge. It's also not a major issue for me but an annoying one.


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## tinabelle (Nov 8, 2008)

Appreciate your honest, thoughtful comments, JoeDiver.   I think you make an excellent point that we need to evaluate what we want out of a piece of technology when deciding what to buy.  It may be the greatest device in the world but if it does not provide what you need, it may not be right for you.  Case in point.  I am an Apple "fan girl" from way back but could not justify the cost of an iPad for what I wanted from a tablet;  it was way too much device for me so I went with the Fire and love it.  

I agree that the Fire is heavy, as are all tablets.  I rarely read on the Fire for the same reasons you didn't.  I use my Kindle ereader for my reading pleasure;  it's lighter and I love the e-ink.  Glad you were able to sell your Fire and get a Kindle Touch.  Sounds like a better fit.   Enjoy!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Joe!

This is a success story as far as I'm concerned.  You figured out what was the right device for you, and found a good home for your Fire.  Thanks for sharing your story!

Betsy


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

Good to see that you at least found something that YOU want and can use.  That's the more important thing to focus on.


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

I agree with your assessment that the Fire is not the best for reading, I never read books on my Fire (do have a magazine subscription that I browse) but I read books on my Kindle Keyboard (K3) ereader which is in a Amazon Lighted cover (for night reading).  I got the Fire for games and web browsing and for that it is perfect for me.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

I have both the Fire and the Touch. I use the Touch for 99% of my reading. I use the Fire to surf the web, play games, etc. If DH is watching a ballgame, I can surf, read, or watch something on the Fire, and we can still be in the same room. I find with any backlit device, that if I read for any time period, when I look up, everything's blurry . I just find it much more comfortable to read on the Touch. The other issue I have with reading on the Fire is how easily distracted I get. I'll read a page, jump on the web, surf awhile, read a little more. I must not have a very long attention span!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

The books I read on my Fire have lots of images such as craft books. The rest I read on my K2.


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## JoeDiver (Dec 4, 2011)

If I didn't have a 17" MacBook Pro....which I use for all those "other" things the KF does....may have been a different story.

I'm undecided on the Touch being a good thing....now I cant put the silly thing down! Went to sleep at 2:30 last night and I'm paying for it now.....


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## JoeDiver (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh, one other thing I like AOT over the KF....Collections! Exactly what I was missing...a way to organize all my books. I spent the time creating collections and adding books on the Mac Kindle App...then just imported my Collections on the new Touch...and bam! Everything is nicely organized now and on my home screen, I view by Collections.

Wonder why the KF didn't have that ability? Seems like a pretty basic functional thing....


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## ame8199 (Apr 4, 2010)

I have a 13 inch Macbook pro and love my fire. I don't read much ( had a kindle 2, 3 and 4) but when I do I don't mind it on the fire. I have it set on a tanish background with black text, ive read for hours with it.

I got the fire and dont regret it. I have a macbook and iphone and couldn't justify the price of the ipad. I even had an ipad and sold it after a month. I really felt guilty spending so much on something I really on use in bed.

The fire is perfect, still allows me to browse online, read, and play games. I even downloaded some music which I found out they can be played on the iphone with the cloud player app. 

Best thing about the fire for me? The size...

I'm glad you found the right device for you 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

JoeDiver said:


> Oh, one other thing I like AOT over the KF....Collections! Exactly what I was missing...a way to organize all my books. I spent the time creating collections and adding books on the Mac Kindle App...then just imported my Collections on the new Touch...and bam! Everything is nicely organized now and on my home screen, I view by Collections.
> 
> Wonder why the KF didn't have that ability? Seems like a pretty basic functional thing....


This is a puzzlement to the rest of us, too...and I haven't checked recently, but I don't think there are collections in the iPad Kindle reader... I can understand Amazon not wanting to encourage us iPad users  but you'd think they'd make it better for the Fire users... off to send feedback from my Fire. (Gear > More > Help & Feedback > Feedback.)

Betsy


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

My KF experience has been similar to others' experiences. I usually read on my KF when I'm on my treadmill, but the rest of the time, I use my Kindle Touch (which I only use for reading). As for my KF, I continue to look for great apps that will justify my purchase of it. (I have an iPad, too, so I probably could have lived without my KF, but I love technology and had to get a KF. I waited to buy my KT until about 6 weeks ago, so at last I demonstrated restraint for awhile. )


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## Vet (Apr 25, 2010)

My use of the Fire is similar to Cindy's. I probably could have done without the Fire, but I love technology. I do like some of the Amazon apps that aren't available on the iPad, such as Droid TV. Reading on the Fire has been a good experience for me. My kindle keyboard hasn't been used in months. I will keep it for outside reading.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the reason for 'not collections' on the Fire is that they want to encourage you to store most things in their cloud and only keep a few things actually ON the fire.  If you've only got a couple of dozen books, it's not hard to find the one you want by browsing the 'books' tab.


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## fuschiahedgehog (Feb 23, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I think the reason for 'not collections' on the Fire is that they want to encourage you to store most things in their cloud and only keep a few things actually ON the fire. If you've only got a couple of dozen books, it's not hard to find the one you want by browsing the 'books' tab.


I don't think that's it - the 'cloud' is just as user unfriendly as the jumbled heap on the Fire. No ability to group, sort, or search by topic, genre, or anything besides author or title. I have 1000+ books/documents, and the lack of ability to group and sort them is my number one biggest annoyance. If it can be done on the lowly Kindle 4, why can't it be done on the Android apps (whether on the Fire or any other Android device)?


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