# Potential Kindle concerns



## badknee (Jan 19, 2013)

'm considering buying Kindle Fire HD specifically to use during recovery after knee surgery-- which can go on for a long time. I'm already Amazon Prime member and that's primary motivation for kindle.
.
Should I be concerned about the following -- which may affect my decision to buy Kindle.

1. streaming free videos- are there problems with buffering, freezing, very limited free selection?

2. email -- unsatisfactory to many, not sure why. Can I use it for emails to friends and family?

3. reading newspapers/magazines/financial information --is Amazon Silk problematic ? other browser to download?

4. Battery/router problems-- typical or not? Yes I can return kindle, but can't drive for several weeks.

Appreciate feedback before I buy.

Many thanks.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards!

*1. streaming free videos- are there problems with buffering, freezing, very limited free selection?
*

I think the Amazon Prime selection is very good; as an Amazon Prime member now, you should be able to browse them and see if the selection suffices. On my network, streaming is fine.

*2. email -- unsatisfactory to many, not sure why. Can I use it for emails to friends and family?
*

The current email app on the HDs is very satisfactory; the one on the original Fire less so. What email provider do you use?

*3. reading newspapers/magazines/financial information --is Amazon Silk problematic ? other browser to download?
*

Most of the pubs I read have their own apps and don't go through the browser. But if you need browser access, you can sideload Chrome or Dolphin, plus there are some in the Amazon appstore to use instead.

*4. Battery/router problems-- typical or not? Yes I can return kindle, but can't drive for several weeks.*

I have had no router problems. I was having problems charging, but figured out it was the cable I was using. Works fine now.

*Appreciate feedback before I buy.*

You can buy it and have a thirty day return window. You might want to order it in advance so you can give it a good tryout.

Good luck with the knee surgery--I've been there--it's when I got my first Kindle.

Betsy
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## beboyle (May 19, 2009)

1. Streaming - this depends mostly on the network(s) involved, including both your local Wi-Fi connection and the upstream ISP performance. 
2. It has a very basic email client. If all you want to do is send and receive emails it should be fine. 
3. Silk seems to work well enough, but you can sideload other browsers and many do.
4. Typical for a tablet, but that means you get 6-8 hours on a charge.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

badknee said:


> 1. streaming free videos- are there problems with buffering, freezing, very limited free selection?


I've had no problems streaming with my ISP (comcast) and my home wifi network.



> 2. email -- unsatisfactory to many, not sure why. Can I use it for emails to friends and family?


The built in app works great. . .syncs with google if you want it to so the calendar can sync as well. Also set up my comcast and a netsolutions email address without difficulty. You can't specify folders on the device, but if you use folders on the web app they will be available on the Fire.



> 3. reading newspapers/magazines/financial information --is Amazon Silk problematic ? other browser to download?


I use Silk for some things and Chrome for others. There are also other options. It really depends on the site. I'd not use ANY of them for high powered web surfing, but any are probably satisfactory for general browsing.



> 4. Battery/router problems-- typical or not? Yes I can return kindle, but can't drive for several weeks.


I've had no battery problems and I've had no problems with connectivity on either of my Fires. Like any device, it's not a bad thing to do a reboot every now and then just to clear out the stray bits and bites. The only glitch I've ever noticed is sometimes it just decides it doesn't want to connect. I just toggle wireless off and then back on and it's like that wakes it up so it knows it can talk to the world again and it does so.


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## maryjf45 (Apr 24, 2011)

I have had problems with the email program, but it's not a big deal because there are many free email apps available in Amazon's app store.  I ended up preferring the look of Kaiten, but K9 and Inomail were perfectly fine. Silk was giving me problems more and more, I still haven't figured out why, maybe I'm inimical to the kindle's software.  But it was no problem to download another free browser.  There is plenty of info in this forum, and you can always ask if there's a problem.


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

I have the 8.9 fire and had the original 7" before . 

I haven' t streamed a lot but did have buffering on the original.  No issues with buffering on the new one.

I have yahoo mail and it works great.

I've only used the silk browser and haven't had any issues.  I find it very responsive and fast.  I occasionally get a message asking if I want to restore my tabs and they all return.

I haven't read newspapers or magazines on it yet.

Battery life is better than on the original fire and I use my new one much more since it works so much better.  I haven't had any charging issues.

Good luck with your surgery.


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## comfortablynumb (Dec 30, 2011)

badknee said:


> 'm considering buying Kindle Fire HD specifically to use during recovery after knee surgery-- which can go on for a long time. I'm already Amazon Prime member and that's primary motivation for kindle.
> .
> Should I be concerned about the following -- which may affect my decision to buy Kindle.
> 
> ...


Good luck on your knee surgery

1.) Streaming movies all depends upon your connection and your wireless router...as long as you have a good connection and decent router should be no problem, as the device has the latest highspeed compatible wireless adapter. I streamed Netflix and Amazon Prime with no issues. Movie selection and Tv selection on Amazon prime is pretty good, you can go to amazon and sort movie/show to Prime eligible to see what exactly is included in Prime.

2.) Email I can't really attest to as I usually use yahoo or gmail

3.) Sorry Can't say much abotu this either

4.) Do you mean compatibility issues with routers? I have an older Linksys router and had no issues getting it up and running. As for returning, I believe if let them your housebound they should be able to arrange a pickup if your not happy with the Kindle and or it's defective. 
*Battery Life* I've seen about 6-8 hours of mixed usage (surfing net, watching videos).

Link on Amazon for Prime Instant Streaming
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sa_menu_aiv_piv0?ie=UTF8&node=2676882011


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