# My early but detailed impressions of the $50 Fire



## CS

My new $50 Fire arrived a couple of days ago. Here are my early impressions...

*Unboxing/booting up:* The downloads and installs took some time, and there seemed to be multiple installs. This site - http://winsupersite.com/mobile-devices/unboxing-and-setup-50-amazon-fire-tablet - does a great job of going through it. (Note: Not my site, and I'm not the author.) He even encountered the same slow wi-fi glitch/message I experienced during the installation. Glad it wasn't just for me. Despite taking a bit longer than I expected, it was a fairly smooth experience. One of the options once you're finally in is to save your wi-fi password to Amazon. Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but this didn't seem like a good idea to me. I turned off most of the backup stuff, because I won't needing any of that for light usage and casual browsing. Your needs may be different.

*Menus/OS:* The "carousel" on the previous Fire models was horrendous. It's gone here, thankfully - replaced by a much more normal and organized system. Folders are also very easy to create, and you have a choice of a few wallpapers. It's nice.

*Wi-Fi*: Seems okay for the most part, though I do occasionally lose connection when moving around the OS (like the author in the link above). I wonder if this is related to the feature that shuts off wi-fi after a period of non-usage (I haven't disabled that).

*Display:* This obviously isn't a massive HD/retina/blah blah blah display like you'd get on the iPad, but I'm pretty impressed, all things considered. Looks really nice and clear to me. However, like the first-gen Fire, the screen is a magnet for dust and fingerprints.

*Touchscreen:* Nice and smooth for the most part (although it is occasionally laggy or unresponsive, but no more than any other touchscreen) and some of the interface buttons are a little too small (there may be a way to adjust this - not sure).

*Sound:* It's mono, not stereo, but everything sounds pretty good and clear. I always want things to be even louder, but that's just me. The highest volume is still plenty audible, at least from what I've tried so far.

*Amazon's Appstore:* This is a hot mess IMO. Half of the apps don't work on a Fire. I think those are supposed to be filtered out if you're browsing from the tablet, and they usually are, but I did somehow manage once to pull up an incompatible app from the device itself - WWE Network, which obviously didn't install when I tried. Not sure how I did that. You can sideload apps, which I haven't tried yet, but it's annoying because incompatible versions of Zinio and the 3M Cloud Library apps are available on Amazon (webpage), yet can apparently be sideloaded onto the Fire through those apps' respective sites. Amazon really needs to get with it in this dept. IMO - increase compatibility and remove all non-Fire apps from the website or put them in a different section. They also have sketchy third-party apps for stuff like Gmail that appear to be official but aren't really. The Fire uses a customized version of Android, so I'm guessing there are ways to sideload other app stores (Google Play, etc.), but that's not something I care enough to ever bother with.

*Apps:* The IMDB and Goodreads app require being signed in, which is irritating, but not a deal-breaker. The Wikipedia app sends usage information unless you disable that. I'm still trying out different apps, and I'm sure they'll all vary in quality, as apps on any device tend to do. I have not tried Facebook or Twitter yet.

*Games:* I've only tried two - Gunman Clive and Sonic CD. As you'd expect, neither are ideal for a touchscreen interface. Clive fares worse than Sonic in the control dept. (but it's a great game on PC and consoles with a proper controller). Sonic CD is actually not bad with touch controls, but it's obviously not ideal since platforming gameplay demands precision. All new Fires come with the "Underground" feature, which gives you access to tons of games for free (including free micro-transactions), but I haven't tried any of that yet.

*Video:* I've only tried Amazon's own video service. It looks good - not great, perhaps - but definitely serviceable and watchable. I tried this in an area where my wi-fi signal was not the strongest though.

*Books/Comics:* I have a regular e-ink Kindle for books, so I haven't used this for reading. But I did try a couple of free comics I got from the Kindle store. I'm not in love for the interface for those: one comic was vertical and the other was horizontal, for example, and sometimes the text can be too small - even with the feature that magnifies each pane. I'm sure there are ways to sideload a different comic reader and your own comics, but that's likely not something I'll investigate any further. The default setup for comics is not great IMO.

*Web browser:* I've only tried the default web browser, Silk, which seems nice enough. I'm sure there are ways to sideload other browsers, but I haven't and won't bother with that. Wish there was a way to block ads (the reviews for one of the adblock apps aren't good and I'm guessing it won't work).

*E-mail:* I have not tried the built-in e-mail app and likely won't. I'll probably just stick to webmail through Silk if I bother at all.

*Cameras:* Tried this once to make sure they worked. No idea how good they are and don't care. I'm honestly surprised they're included in a $50 tablet. I personally would've been happy to see them sacrificed to get the weight even lighter than it already is...

*Weight:* This is a lot more comfortable to hold than the first-gen Fire. It's definitely lighter. I can nitpick, of course: the edges of the device could be better, it's not quite as comfortable to hold horizontally, and I wouldn't mind it being even lighter than it is now. Still, I can't really complain. It feels pretty decent and comfortable to hold overall.

*Battery life:* Not great, but not horrible either. My guess is you'll have to charge once a day if you use it all day, but don't hold me to that. I think it's good for what it is.

*Charger:* I'm surprised this even came with one. I wasn't expecting that from such an inexpensive device. The included USB cable is WAY TOO SHORT though, but it detaches completely from the charger, so I'm sure it can be replaced with something longer - I just have to look into that. The tip of the cable is small, so it can be tricky at first to insert into the Fire.

*Storage:* 5GB or so available (out of 8 because some of it is tied up in OS stuff). Compatible with up to a 128GB SD card, but I haven't tried that.

*Warranty:* This comes with only a 90-day warranty, so if that worries you, fork over the extra cash for an extended warranty. I didn't bother. I'd rather roll the dice and save my money.

Overall, while it may seem like I was being very nitpicky, this is a $50 tablet and _incredibly_ impressive for that price. If you're interested, there's no reason to hesitate IMO. It's a ridiculous value, period.


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## primetizzle

I've personally never owned a Kindle Fire before.  I am more than impressed for $50.  My biggest pet peave is the FreeTime app.  I purchased one for each of my kids and you have to use content from the Amazon store for them, and you can't use Prime instant videos, which is the whole reason I got these for my kids.  I want to give them unlimited reading, limited app time, and limited video time.  But I can't do this with our own content, it has to be with Amazon content.


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## Speaker-To-Animals

You need to get a freetime unlimited sub and they will have kid appropriate videos and games or you can get a video player app and sideload.


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## Joel Ansel

I was thinking about ordering the six-pack and giving a few of them away to promote my small press.


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## primetizzle

Speaker-To-Animals said:


> You need to get a freetime unlimited sub and they will have kid appropriate videos and games or you can get a video player app and sideload.


I think I'll give the sub a try soon. I am curious at the selection of videos. If it's not great, I'll get rid of the FreeTime all together. Amazon instant videos with Prime has a perfect selection for the kids, and I can just personally regulate the use. I just prefer that the tablet itself is the bad guy


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## Speaker-To-Animals

> I think I'll give the sub a try soon. I am curious at the selection of videos. If it's not great, I'll get rid of the FreeTime all together. Amazon instant videos with Prime has a perfect selection for the kids, and I can just personally regulate the use. I just prefer that the tablet itself is the bad guy


If you already have Prime, it's $3 a month. It is basically all the kids videos that are on prime. My daughter is only 5, so I haven't dealt with issues of when you want things on it that Amazon doesn't include. For the most part, I'm really happy with it because I can just let our daughter explore and not have to worry about checking out what she decides to watch.

I post a little bit more about FreeTime Unlimited here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,222637.0.html


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## hamerfan

Great review, CS!
My experience with the Fire was much like yours. 
The deal breaker for me was using the Android OS. I own a Kindle PaperWhite, but I'm still not familiar with Android. Someone with an Android phone, or just someone younger than me, would probably have no problems figuring it out. The Silk browser and the "iffy" touchscreen when opening apps didn't help. So I've sent ours back. 
Our desktop computer is an Apple iMac, so we got an iPad mini from the Apple Refurbished Store online, here:

http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals

Love the PW, not so much the Fire.


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## booklover888

I kind of want one of these, just because they're cheap! Who's with me? 

Who cares that we already have 5 Fires and 3 Nook HD's in the house!

I'm holding out for a Black Friday special that will be gone before I get a chance to click on it! I'm crossing my fingers for a $35 sale!


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## starrin

booklover888 said:


> I kind of want one of these, just because they're cheap! Who's with me?
> I'm holding out for a Black Friday special that will be gone before I get a chance to click on it! I'm crossing my fingers for a $35 sale!


If you could put together a buy of six, the sixth is free at Amazon. I'm about to close on a deal which will provide one for me and the kids will buy the rest for grandkids.
That brings the cost down to just under $42 each


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## Ann in Arlington

starrin said:


> If you could put together a buy of six, the sixth is free at Amazon. I'm about to close on a deal which will provide one for me and the kids will buy the rest for grandkids.
> That brings the cost down to just under $42 each


Yeah . . . I keep trying to figure out if I have 5 friends.   

Actually a group here could probably order . . . but then there'd be the problem of shipping them to people since I think they'd require all 6 be delivered to one address. Which might not make it any cheaper than the non-bulk price.`


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## booklover888

Well, I've changed my mind. I'd really like the 8" Fire better. I'll definitely wait for a sale!


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## Chad Winters

booklover888 said:


> Well, I've changed my mind. I'd really like the 8" Fire better. I'll definitely wait for a sale!


Check out the new Fiore HD Readers Edition: 
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=ods_gw_tab_mr_launch?_encoding=UTF8&node=13295758011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-hero-kindle-A&pf_rd_r=1RMSHF2C73BNHVZTPE1R&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2322060862&pf_rd_i=desktop

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,227829.0.html


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## booklover888

Thanks, Chad...I decided against the Fire HD 8 in any iteration. If I ever get an 8" tablet, it will be an Android, not a Fire.

I did get a $35 Fire for my 10 yo daughter. She has hardly used it. She prefers real Android. I kind of wish I'd gotten something else. But I wanted her to have the Amazon Underground and the card slot. I loaded Goat Simulator on it and it looked really nice! (Of course, I had no idea what to do LOL). I think she'll get used to it.

As for the Fire HD 8 being a "reader's edition" to me that 189 PPI is a joke. The Fire HD 6 (252 PPI) is a much better tablet for reading on. I did try reading on the cheap Fire (171 PPI) and it was awful. Very pixilated, even the background. I have a feeling I would dislike reading on the Fire 8 just as much. My 2013 Nexus 7 has 323 PPI, as I recall! I'm sure the tab will be great for movies and games, though!


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