# So . . . Do I want a Fire? UPDATE MARCH 2013-page 2



## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

I have a Kindle--have had since Kindle Klassic!

But next summer I'm going to Ireland for 2 weeks. I don't have a laptop and don't want to buy/lug one around. I do not have a smartphone, nor do I want one. I REFUSE to pay the Big Bucks for an iPad. But I worry about being utterly w/out the internet for so long, esp. when I will need to find places of interest, restaurants, transit, etc.

I'm considering a Fire. I would take it w/ me instead of my Kindle Touch. I'm just not completely sure about what I can and cannot do w/ the Fire.

So with the Fire, can I:

- EASILY surf the web? Is the keypad pretty good? Can I get google maps directions, etc?
- Buy apps? Are apps for the Fire? Can I GPS driven apps that find things for me in a city?
- Buy Kindle content? If I'm in Ireland but my credit card/account are w/ Amazon US will it work just the way it does in the US?
- Read on it? I know that technically I CAN, but I'm such a fan of e-ink. The first week I will be in the James Joyce Summer School so will mostly be reading my well-loved and well-marked-up DTB copy of Ulysses, among others. After that I'll be travelling around and would like to be able to read Kindle books, but I'm worried that I'll get eyestrain.

Thank you!!


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I don't have a fire yet so can't really answer all your questions for you.  

If it were me, I would get a Fire but plan for it to be an addition to the KT.  I believe the battery life on the Fire is only around 8 hours. That's not going to get you to Ireland without needing to be charged. I would hate to be without a book on such a LONG flight.  

I would also wait until closer to the trip to purchase.  I'm sure there will be a 2nd gen come out this year.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> I have a Kindle--have had since Kindle Klassic!
> 
> But next summer I'm going to Ireland for 2 weeks. I don't have a laptop and don't want to buy/lug one around. I do not have a smartphone, nor do I want one. I REFUSE to pay the Big Bucks for an iPad. But I worry about being utterly w/out the internet for so long, esp. when I will need to find places of interest, restaurants, transit, etc.
> 
> ...


The web browser and keyboard are decent I think. Not as spiffy as a full comptuer of course.

You can pretty much go to any web site you want, including google maps.

There are many MANY apps in the Amazon appstore and are also ones available from other places that have android apps.

GPS is a non-starter. . .there is no GPS installed. You can get an approximate location via WiFi hotspot triangulation, but accurate live walking or driving directions aren't going to happen

It's a Kindle. . . if you buy it on your current account it will be registered on that account and any books you have will be available to it.

It's also a tablet with a backlit screen. It's a very good screen, but if you are very sensitive to eye strain, it might not work well for you as an eReader. It is NOT eInk.

Honestly, the only way to know for sure if it'll work for you is to try it out. It's available for playing with at various big box stores in the US. . . or order from Amazon and take advantage of their 30 day return policy. If you decide it's not for you, you can return it for just the cost of return shipping, on the order of $10 bucks.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i tend to do all my internet searching before i leave home and forward stuff to my kindle

or, as i did before i went to scotland, i found travel guide available for kindle and use that for maps and stuff.

as to e-mail, etc, I'm sure you'll be able to find internet cafes in Ireland.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

I got a Fire a couple of weeks ago to feed the urge for a new toy. I found a sudoku app for it that I am really enjoying. I've put a bunch of books in it and read a little bit with it but mostly stick with my Touch for that, at least around the house. Now when I go out I take and put at risk the Fire instead of the $499 ipad. Both (of mine) require wifi so are only useful online in certain locations. I prefer going online with my MBP and if not that then my ipad and then the Fire ahead of my smart phone. I prefer reading on my KT and then the Fire and then the smart phone. The Fire is a decent all in one, good and adequate for all it's various functions, best and excellent at none. For something you can take anywhere and not be risking too much it's a good unit. I wouldn't give mine up. Hope that helps some.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

The browser is decent.  And you could always get a different browser if you would like.
You can buy apps from Amazon's Appstore, but as already pointed out, there's no GPS in the Fire.

However, you could always bring both along with you.  The Fire for more "advanced" things like movies, interwebs (when in wifi range), and games...  And your Touch for reading.  I usually do the same, minus a Touch and plus a Keyboard.


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## luvmykindle3 (Dec 5, 2010)

Keep in mind the battery life of the fire vs the touch. I would suggest taking the touch for extended reading.
The web browser on the fire is decent, you will just have to makes sure you can connect to wifi wherever you are going.
There will probably be a new kindle out shortly, so check that out first, it may be a better device, or the older kindle could be cheaper. Good luck, enjoy your trip.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I've taken my Fire on two overnight trips, and it was fine for web browsing and emails.

If the battery life is a problem, there are some nice battery boosters up to around 12,000 mAh capacity, some of them less than $50-60.


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## jpele (Jun 26, 2012)

It's the perfect size for traveling if you can handle the weight. I purchased a fire for Christmas and am totally disappointed.  Imuch prefer using my Ipod touch over the kindle and the fire isn't even in the same area code when compared to the Ipad JMO.


A from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## Steven Stickler (Feb 1, 2012)

Most questions have been covered. Web browsing is OK, not great. The very thing that makes it convenient--size--also makes keyboard and screen smaller...

But the thing that jumps out at me is "*next* summer"..as in, a year from now? The world of tablets is likely to be completely different by then, as will the answers to most of your questions.

Not sure I understand your reluctance on the smartphone--there are great phone apps for the things you mention that, in combination with a kindle, would probably make you one very happy Joyce scholar.


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

[quote author=Steven Stickler]
But the thing that jumps out at me is "*next* summer"..as in, a year from now? The world of tablets is likely to be completely different by then, as will the answers to most of your questions.[/quote]
True! I'm just a planner-ahead.  But I will not buy anything until closer to the day.


> Not sure I understand your reluctance on the smartphone--there are great phone apps for the things you mention that, in combination with a kindle, would probably make you one very happy Joyce scholar.


Well, b/c I have no wifi or cell phone service at home, so I can't use a phone there. I'm in the boonies. Hence, I have to have a landline AND a cell phone, so I keep them both bare bones for $$ reasons. Since I can't use it at home or, really, at work, the only time I use the cell is when I'm driving and I obviously can't make much SAFE use of a smartphone while doing that.

And I can't get one for a few weeks and then get my $$ back and return to my cheap regular plan.  Just doesn't fit into my life.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

DreamWeaver said:


> Since you mentioned that, I just want to point out that you will need wifi wherever you plan to use your Kindle Fire or most other tablets-to browse the internet, download ebooks, check email, etc. I don't have a cell phone myself, so I can't tell you if there's some way to access (tether) your cell phone's 3G/4G signal on the Fire or other tablets, but maybe someone here with more technical knowledge can advise regarding that.


There is not. Though if you have a cell phone capable of broadcasting a local WiFi hotspot the Fire will connect to that without any problem. No way to make a physical connection, however.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> There is not. Though if you have a cell phone capable of broadcasting a local WiFi hotspot the Fire will connect to that without any problem. No way to make a physical connection, however.


Thanks for clarifying that, Ann. I used the wrong terminology when I typed the word _tether_. What I really meant was that it might be possible to use the cell phone as a wifi hotspot that the Fire (or other tablet) could connect with wirelessly. All this newfangled technology-I can't keep up any more!


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## Steven Stickler (Feb 1, 2012)

pawsplus said:


> Well, b/c I have no wifi or cell phone service at home, so I can't use a phone there.
> And I can't get one for a few weeks and then get my $$ back and return to my cheap regular plan.  Just doesn't fit into my life.


OK, gotcha--that makes sense. The data plan does get expensive. At least a tablet is not costing you $$ by the minute.

There really should be a trip-phone or trip-tablet service for these situations. Sort of like flexcar...


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

pawsplus said:


> Well, b/c I have no wifi or cell phone service at home, so I can't use a phone there.


If you have an internet connection at home, you can have wifi by buying a wifi router, had as cheap as $20 I think when I looked for a friend a couple of weeks ago.

The Fire, and any tablet, is obviously geared more toward having an internet connection - and since it doesn't have 3G built in, you will find yourself wanting it at home and spend time hunting it down when traveling.

Again, I agree with the wait - the market will be totally different a year from now... heck, while a friend and his daughter are completely happy with the Fire, the geek in me says, you should return it and get the Nexus! LOL!!


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

TraceyC/FL said:


> Again, I agree with the wait - the market will be totally different a year from now... heck, while a friend and his daughter are completely happy with the Fire, the geek in me says, you should return it and get the Nexus! LOL!!


I'm struggling a bit with a similar question.....I have about 10 days to return the Fire and wait for the new version. Or buy the same one, but at a lower price. I hate chasing technology, but it's supposed to be announced the end of this month.


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## trip (Dec 27, 2010)

Is anyone else dreaming of a Fire with a larger screen?


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

trip said:


> Is anyone else dreaming of a Fire with a larger screen?


Yes, I am. I'd like to see at least the 8.9" one, if not the 10". I can't wait to see what they come out with!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> So with the Fire, can I:
> 
> - EASILY surf the web? Is the keypad pretty good? Can I get google maps directions, etc?
> - Buy apps? Are apps for the Fire? Can I GPS driven apps that find things for me in a city?
> ...


I think it's important to emphasize that, due to the battery life for any tablet, you'll want to take the Kindle, too. Or buy a Kindle mini ($79) to take--very small and light--along with the tablet you choose.

My iPad is WiFi only. I found WiFi very easy to find overseas, though not always cheap and seldom free, as it is here in the States. Haven't been to Ireland, though a friend just got back from there, I could ask.

I haven't used any mapping products on my Fire but I want to say that, though there is no GPS in my WiFi-only iPad, the mapping capability on it is quite good in urban areas using the WiFi triangulation. We use it all the time. In rural areas, not so good, as there are fewer (or no) towers for the triangulation. I don't really know what's available in the way of mapping products for the Fire.

Betsy


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

TraceyC/FL said:


> If you have an internet connection at home, you can have wifi by buying a wifi router, had as cheap as $20 I think when I looked for a friend a couple of weeks ago.


Again, no internet at home. There is no wifi in the boonies. Nuthin'. 

I realize I won't be able to use it at home--certainly wouldn't spend $600 on an iPad just for a 2 week trip but it may be worth it to spend $200.  That's my thinking.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> Again, no internet at home. There is no wifi in the boonies. Nuthin'.
> 
> I realize I won't be able to use it at home--certainly wouldn't spend $600 on an iPad just for a 2 week trip but it may be worth it to spend $200.  That's my thinking.


To clarify, internet and wifi are not the same thing. Do you log on here from home? If so, you have internet. It might be dial up or something faster. If you have the internet connection, you can buy an inexpensive router which will give you wifi in your home. But it is so that a wifi network isn't very practical unless you have a fairly fast connection.

From what you've said before, I'm guessing you log on at work or something...but I wanted to be sure there was no confusion amongst those who might be reading along. 

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2


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## fuschiahedgehog (Feb 23, 2010)

We have a few external USB battery packs - depending on the size, you can get one that is capable of fully charging the Fire more than twice over.  I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus and the battery life isn't great, and my phone's battery life is short too.  I always have a spare battery pack and cable in my purse.  I love the New Trent batteries - www.newtrent.com (also sold on Amazon)


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> To clarify, internet and wifi are not the same thing. Do you log on here from home? If so, you have internet. It might be dial up or something faster. If you have the internet connection, you can buy an inexpensive router which will give you wifi in your home. But it is so that a wifi network isn't very practical unless you have a fairly fast connection.


I have NO internet or wifi or anything at home. There is no broadband in the boonies.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> I have NO internet or wifi or anything at home. There is no broadband in the boonies.


So I understand. . . which is why I said



Ann in Arlington said:


> From what you've said before, I'm guessing you log on at work or something...but I wanted to be sure there was no confusion amongst those who might be reading along.


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## fancynancy (Aug 9, 2009)

Pawsplus, it sounds like it may very well make sense for you to purchase a small, or at least lightweight, tablet before your trip.  As others have said, if you have time, certainly wait to see what else comes out at the same price point before you go.  

I have a Fire and like it.  For me, it's a laptop substitute when I'm lying on the sofa or sitting in bed.  My laptop is the "desktop substitute" type: kind of large, bulky, fast & powerful.  I'm not comfortable with it on my lap.  The Fire does a decent job of replacing it for most intents and purposes. 

I have traveled a bit with the Fire, and it is quite portable.  I like the screen size for everything from web surfing to movie watching, and I imagine it would be quite handy on a long trip for looking at maps and restaurant reviews, etc. in a hotel that had wifi.  I've found that I generally have to pay a bit for wifi at hotels, but they usually charge by the day and mostly it's worthwhile.  Often, my husband will find what we're looking for faster on his Android phone than I do on my Fire, but I think that's because he's better at using all the apps.  My company provides me with a Blackberry with a very small screen, so I'm not experienced with apps.  

I guess I have "very sensitive" eyes, because I'm not comfortable reading novels on the Fire.  I do read professional articles and such on my Fire because they format so much better on the Fire than on the e-ink Kindle.  But that's "work" and for leisure, I like to give my eyes a rest and read on my KK. 

Hmm, that was long. I sure hope there was something in there that added to what others have said.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> But next summer I'm going to Ireland for 2 weeks. I don't have a laptop and don't want to buy/lug one around. I do not have a smartphone, nor do I want one. I REFUSE to pay the Big Bucks for an iPad. But I worry about being utterly w/out the internet for so long, esp. when I will need to find places of interest, restaurants, transit, etc.
> 
> I'm considering a Fire. I would take it w/ me instead of my Kindle Touch. I'm just not completely sure about what I can and cannot do w/ the Fire.
> 
> ...


Just got off the phone with my friend who was in Ireland and he said WiFi was plentiful and they never had to pay for it. Whenever they were in a pub, he would ask and it was either password free or they would give him the password.

Let us know what you get!

Betsy


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Just got off the phone with my friend who was in Ireland and he said WiFi was plentiful and they never had to pay for it. Whenever they were in a pub, he would ask and it was either password free or they would give him the password.


Great to know!

I'm checking back in here b/c the trip is finally getting closer and I'm still considering the Fire.

THREE MORE QUESTIONS:

(1) Will the Fire automatically work in Ireland? I don't need some special card or anything to make that happen? I see that some laptops require a card to work elsewhere--are tablets like that too?

(2) Is there a huge diff between 16 and 32 GB? What does that affect, exactly? Speed?

(3) Do we think that there is a new and improved version coming out before July? Or is the Fire not going to be updated any time soon?


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

pawsplus said:


> Great to know!
> 
> I'm checking back in here b/c the trip is finally getting closer and I'm still considering the Fire.
> 
> ...


1. I haven't traveled overseas since getting a tablet, but there are no card slots on the Fire.

2. The difference between 16gb and 32gb is memory. I got 32gb, because no one ever says "Gee, I wish I had less memory." It depends on what you'll be keeping on it, though. I found I had to keep deleting apps on my 1st gen Fire so I went for max memory.

3. I wouldn't look for an update before this fall - the first 2 generations came out in fall of 2011 and 2012.


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## ireadbooks (Jan 11, 2011)

1 There's nothing additional needed for the Fire to work overseas (speaking from experience)

2 As mentioned  above, gb affect how much "stuff" your device can hold and has nothing to do with speed. If you're going to be downloading large files, like movies, or lots of music, you may want to think about the 32gb.



Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

OK, thanks! I guess 16GB will be plenty.  I guess I'll get one, then.  It seems like a good idea, as my old Netbook is (1) old and (2) heavy/bulky in comparision, and I can't be carting it around all day (I'll be away from my room most of the day w/ a messenger bag slung around me and I don't want to be miserable!


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I feel your concern. We're going on a trip later and I'm taking just my Fire HD; leaving the laptop at home. First time for that! I'm a bit nervous - what if I forget to put something I need into drop box? Well, I *guess *I'll be OK ... I have my Calibre library for the fire pointing to the drop box, so all of my books will be available. One of these days I need to put my recipes into Evernote (they're in MS OneNote now) so they'll be available wherever I go.

Oh, by the way, I have the 16 gb version and find it to have plenty of room. However, I don't have my entire library of books and music on it - only about 30 books, maybe 75 tunes, 30 apps and 10 games or so. Still have 8 gb of space.


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