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Comment on Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi by Billy Radcliffe

Billy Radcliffe — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:14:04 +0000

6,401 of 6,653 people found the following review helpful:

I want to love it, I really do. But I can’t., November 15, 2011

Amazon Verified Purchase(http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase/185-5501731-6036230', ‘AmazonHelp’, ‘width=400,height=500,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1′);return false; “>What’s this?)

This review is from: Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi (Electronics)

As a long-time Kindle fan I was eager to get my hands on a Fire. For the most part I’ve found that it does what I wanted it to, which is be the one device I can take with me anywhere. There are some great features; the reader app is excellent (though not without flaws), the app store experience is terrific, videos are fantastic, and the device is quick and for the most part dead-simple to use, all thanks to the services Amazon provides. And of course the extras that come with Prime membership really make it a real value – I won’t be cancelling my Netflix streaming account just yet (watching Netflix on the Fire works very well) but I imagine within a year Amazon’s Free streaming video catalog will be just as good as Netflix. The Free “lending library” book every month really is the icing on the cake though, and makes Prime membership a no-brainer. The hardware itself is solid and has a quality feel, it’s just the right size for one-handed use, and the screen is fantastic (for an LCD screen) with good brightness and excellent color, and a very wide viewing angle. So as a reader, video player and music streaming device the Fire excels, and as an occasional browsing, emailing, game playing tablety thing it does pretty well.

But there are some downsides too; the small bezel size makes holding it without inadvertent page-turns difficult, the lack of buttons makes controls harder, the accessible storage memory is limited to just 5GB, which seems awfully small when carrying my own video content on a trip, and overall the interface of the system is just a little awkward and unfinished. Sometimes the back button doesn’t work, buttons are hard to push accurately or launch the wrong function, navigation isn’t exactly intuitive, etc. Particularly annoying are things like the way that almost half the screen is taken up by menu bars when browsing in landscape mode, the “momentum” of the browsing not stopping, menu bars that sometimes just pop up randomly while reading, and the navigation of Newsstand content like the New York Times is incredibly awkward. And then there’s the jerkiness that happens when browsing or navigating other content; to me, this just shouldn’t happen when reading a book. This is a Kindle, after all.

On the missing or unfinished side its disappointing that there isn’t even a little bit of social media built in – no sharing clips of books or newsstand material via email, FB or twitter. Also missing is the “read out loud” found on other Kindles, and the new “X-Ray” feature found on the other new Kindles. There is no archiving or syncing personal documents – they have to be mailed individually to the Fire. And there’s no page numbers in the books – c’mon, Amazon, this is even available for the old Kindles at this point. The browser lacks some basic functionality like being able to rearrange bookmarks, and other little annoyances. The email application is very basic, and doesn’t always format text properly, and doesn’t have simple things like a landscape mode to view a list of messages. But the biggest “unfinished” feature of the Fire is the Cloud integration; the Cloud doesn’t work hand-in-glove with the Fire in the way you think it might. In order to access features like the video or the docs, you basically have to go through a browser the way you would from any other device. For the most part the Cloud acts only as a digital locker for items purchased from Amazon, not seamlessly as a repository for any kind of content you want to access from the Fire. The way the Cloud seems to be marketed, and the way it should work, is that the Fire and the Cloud should work seamlessly together for all kinds of content; if you upload your own movie from your PC to the Cloud, you should see it in your Video tab on the Fire, and be able to stream it or download it. If you upload folders of work documents to the Cloud, they should be available to browse and download from the Fire’s Doc tab. But that’s not the way it works. For whatever reason, the Fire’s using a Frankenstein mix of the Cloud, Kindle digital library, the app store, and local storage to handle content needs. It just isn’t quite ready for prime time, and it isn’t what people are expecting when they pick up the Fire.

All of these little things add up to make what could be a great device merely adequate. Many will be able to overlook these problems and enjoy the Kindle Fire for what it is; an inexpensive all-in-one-entertainment device. I only point them out to remind people that they should not expect perfection from the Kindle Fire, at least not out of the box. Over the next few months it’s possible (likely) that many of the problems I have could be fixed with software revisions – i.e. the bezel problem could be fixed by making the margins in the reader app non-active, for instance, and the problem with the menus taking up too much room could be fixed by making them accessible via swipe-up or swipe-down. Hopefully…

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Comment on Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi by jjceo

jjceo — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:48:14 +0000

5,117 of 5,302 people found the following review helpful:

Great device, you will enjoy it, November 15, 2011

jjceo (Greenwood, Indiana) –

This review is from: Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi (Electronics)

I picked mine up today at Best Buy. At home I plugged it in and set up the WIFI and my Amazon account and it immediately told me that an update was downloading. After about 10 to 12 minutes it rebooted and started working. I own an iPhone, iPad 2, HP Touchpad and a Kindle Keyboard version. This device compares with the iPad. The reviews that blast the Kindle Fire as being no good are just not true. I am a retired CEO and computer Guru and have a great WIFI set up in my home. Here is my quick and dirty review:

WIFI fast and easy to set up and use

Keyboard types great, much better than the HP Touchpad and as good if not better than the iPad.

Display high resolution comparable to the iPad 2

The device downloaded my 100 books in minutes. Most books downloaded to the device in 3 to 4 seconds. A couple of large books took 5 seconds and I am talking about books with 800 pages!

Web browsing is extremely fast. I loaded up a dozen sites that I go to with complex screens and they took 2 to 3 seconds to load. The people who are complaining should fix their WIFI instead of complaining about the Kindle Fire. I see no problem and the speed on the sites I tested is comparable to the iPad 2. One site for a local TV station took about 8 seconds and the screens are complex and contain a lot of videos and changing photos.

Apps load and work great, Facebook, Words With Friends and the Weather Channel loaded fast and work quickly.

Scrolling works very fast and responsive on the capacitive touch screen. Better than the HP Touchpad

Video download is very fast and I have no complaints.

Sound is very good on the device. Much louder than on my iPad 2 device. I saw several reviews blasting the Kindle Fire and in my opinion the sound is better than the iPad 2.

I put the Kindle Fire into a case I purchased from Oberondesign and it fit tightly, but it did fit.

The Kindle Fire is more portable and easier to hold than the iPad and HP Touchpad.

The power button is bad. It is easy to bump and it is right next to the power plug. I have already turned the device off 4 times by accident while doing the testing. I was unplugging the power cable and touched the switch every time. This switch should have been on the top of the device.

Overall the Kindle fire is a 9 out of 10. For the price it is a 10 out of 10.

I am not a professional reviewer nor am I a paid reviewer. The Kindle fire is worth the money and it works well. What happens after 5 million users get onto Amazon is a new test that Amazon must prove they can handle.

******************************
Please look at one of my later comments on an excellent WIFI APP tool than could help you test your home WIFI system. Amamzon sells it and it is Free!

******************************
Update 12-21-2011

Amazon has made an update to the Kindle Fire operating system effective today. Make sure that your Kindle Fire is fully charged or plugged in and press the power button for about 20 seconds. Turn on the Kindle Fire by pressing the on button again and it will begin to come on slowly. It will be downloading the update. After it starts it will shut down automatically and then restart again. When the swipe arrow comes on, swipe it and enter your password (If you have one) and your Kindle will start. Be patient when downloading this and wait for the Kindle Fire to totally restart!

The new operating system is number 6.2.1 and it was 6.2. You can check this by touching the small gear in the upper RH corner, touch “+More”, touch “Device” and then looking at the entry for the “System Version”.
Major changes that I can see:

-Memory is now segmented into two parts that are available to you. The first is Application Storage which is set at 1.17 GB. It will appear at the top of the device screen and you can see how much is used for Apps. This is the memory allocated for your down loaded and resident Apps.

- The remaining memory is called Internal Storage and it is now 5.37 GB for your books, movies and other storage besides Apps. It is listed below the Application Storage.

-When looking at the Settings page you will see a new access for “Restrictions” which allows you to enable a password to turn WIFI access OFF or ON. If you enable this you will be asked to enter a password, (Minimum of 4 characters) that will allow you to turn Off the WIFI access. You have now just enabled a “child” mode where you can play games, read books, or do anything that is installed on your Kindle Fire. You will not be able to get new email, browse the internet, buy anything, or communicate in any way to the Web as the WIFI is turned off. You will see a key in the upper RH corner where before you saw the WIFI strength indicator. The key symbol means the…

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Comment on Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi by Scott

Scott — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:38:19 +0000

18,344 of 18,852 people found the following review helpful:

A great device WHEN you consider price and function, with a few flaws, November 14, 2011

Scott –

This review is from: Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi (Electronics)

The first and most important thing that should be said about the Kindle Fire is that this is not an “iPad-killer.” It is not designed to be. I have seen so many articles and comments comparing this to the iPad, and surveys where people are asked if they will be buying a Kindle Fire over an iPad this Christmas. If you are expecting an iPad, or even a tablet, you will be disappointed. The main purpose of this device is to deliver Amazon content to you more effectively. It is designed for consumption, not creation. That is the reason it is so cheap and why Amazon is taking a loss on it. They are hoping to make up for that loss through sales of videos, music, books, and apps through Amazon’s Web Services. You can also use it to view your own movies and media, but will find that it is more limited in that way than a regular tablet. Personally, as someone who has ordered several rentals from Amazon Video, and had to contact customer support for every single one of them due to problems with Amazon’s Unbox player or purchases not appearing in my downloads, I can really appreciate this. But if you don’t plan on using Amazon at all to obtain your media, you may want to take this into consideration before purchasing the Fire. Additionally, the reason this product is so hyped, and one of the reasons I like it so much, is due to the ridiculously low price. Amazon reviews shouldn’t focus on price, but it is hard not to with this device. On price alone, this is a five star device. However when looked at the Fire overall, and when compared with other touch devices (what little there is to compare it to), I have to give it four stars, since there are a few areas I feel could use definite improvement.

FORM FACTOR – The Kindle Fire feels almost the same in my hand as my 3rd generation Kindle but it is a bit heavier. It might be difficult to hold it one handed and read a book for an hour or watch a movie. You’re going to need to rest it on something. The display is made of Gorilla Glass, which is a highly damage-resistant. You can still crack it, but I have used a phone with Gorilla Glass for two years on it and it has zero scratches on it despite being kept daily in my pocket with my keys. The back of the tablet is rubberized, so it won’t slide around and won’t get scratched easily. It also feels good in my hand. Despite all the companies that will be selling them, I do not think you need a screen protector. I have scratched Gorilla Glass before, but it is very difficult to do.

CONNECTIONS/STORAGE – On the bottom are a headphone port (which will accept external speakers), micro-USB (for charging and file transfer), and power button. The Fire doesn’t come with an SD card slot, with good reason. As mentioned, Amazon wants you to get content directly from them. It also reduces the production costs. You can transfer your own content to the device through the USB connection from your home computer. The Fire comes with 8Gb of storage, which is enough to hold about 8 downloaded movies, 80 apps, 800 songs, or 6,000 books. I filled mine up right away so I never checked it out of the box, but apparently it is closer to 6.5Gb as the OS is going to take up some of this. You have to really become adept at managing your content through the Cloud. Books won’t take up much room, but magazines are around 250Mb and movies are a little under 1 Gb. Free videos available through Amazon Prime cannot be downloaded, only streamed. So unless you buy a movie from Amazon or transfer one of your own, you must be connected through a wi-fi connection in order to watch your movie.

AMAZON CLOUD – If you have not tried out the Amazon Cloud Drive, you will be pleasantly surprised. You get 5Gb (which they will probably increase in the near future) of Free online storage to store anything you want, and you can access it from anywhere. This combines very nicely with the Fire. 5Gb isn’t much for my collection, so I upgraded to a higher plan (rates are $1 per extra gigabyte per year). I can upload a playlist to it and listen to it on my home computer, then when I get to work the Fire can access it and pick it up where I left off. Any songs you get from Amazon Mp3 are automatically stored on the Cloud and don’t contribute to the 5Gb storage space.

E-READER – This was going to be the big determination in whether I should get a Fire or the new Kindle Touch. Ultimately I ended up getting both since I prefer the E-Ink technology to the backlit display of the Fire. If you are the type of person who reads a lot and expect to spend at least 50% of your use on reading books, I don’t think you will be satisfied with the Fire over your Kindle 3 or the Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers…

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Comment on Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) by E. G. Bray

E. G. Bray — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:33:05 +0000

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

THANK YOU, MS. MUIR!, December 10, 2011

E. G. Bray (Bloomington, IN) –

This review is from: Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) (Kindle Edition)

Kindle Fire For Dummies is well-written and really helps you get up to speed quickly on Kindle Fire. I especially liked all the interesting tips about features I might have missed otherwise. Want to make the most of your Kindle Fire? Buy this book!

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Comment on Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) by Terry

Terry — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:42:44 +0000

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Kindle Fire for Dummies, December 13, 2011

Terry –

This review is from: Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) (Kindle Edition)

This is a useful guide for the kindle Fire. It is structured logically seems to have sections that cover most things, that is i haven’t identified something it doesn’t cover yet. It is clearly written. Maybe the illustrations could be a little larger, but in terms of getting started, sorting out quirks and helping me get the best out of the kindle fire its good.

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Comment on Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) by Michael - "the Tea Lover"

Michael - "the Tea Lover" — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:12:44 +0000

89 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

Great “in other words” Explanations, December 7, 2011

Michael – “the Tea Lover” –

Amazon Verified Purchase(http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase/180-1356177-9761046', ‘AmazonHelp’, ‘width=400,height=500,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1′);return false; “>What’s this?)

This review is from: Kindle Fire For Dummies (Custom) (For Dummies (Computers)) (Kindle Edition)

Great “in other words” Explanations – of course you can find operating instructions on your Kindle Fire – however, consider this: A wonderfully written Kindle Fire operating manual you can use at the same time you are working on your Kindle Fire!

This is my key reason for having a useful “Dummies and Reference Guide” that you can turn the actual paper pages as you work on your Kindle Fire. This guide gives you great illustrations and explains more than what you have on your Kindle Fire.

INTERESTING TIP: In this book you’ll find you can download to your computer and then print it out as a manual, or print out just the pages you would like to. You’ll get it in about a minute – it will be saved on your Amazon Cloud and on your computer and on your Kindle Fire.

If you are use to the “Dummies” style books you will appreciate the way it is written and that you don’t need to read it from cover to cover; just go to the part you need information on.

Enjoy your Kindle Fire even better with this book!

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Comment on do thing the new “amazon kindle” book computer will eventually cause bookstores to be no longer? by stlouispt3

stlouispt3 — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:45:58 +0000

Probably not. It’s just another way to read books.

Here’s a review of the Amazon Kindle 2.

Comment on do thing the new “amazon kindle” book computer will eventually cause bookstores to be no longer? by Uruss

Uruss — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:56:25 +0000

No, people love hard copies too much. ill always take a hard copy over something like that

Comment on do thing the new “amazon kindle” book computer will eventually cause bookstores to be no longer? by ☮Tamara☮

☮Tamara☮ — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:42:07 +0000

No. Too many people enjoy holding a book in their hands and curling up on the couch. And people like to keep home libraries, such as myself. Their is something tangible and comforting about holding a book that no computer can replace.

Comment on Kindle Books Free by Free Ebooks for download

Free Ebooks for download — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:14:14 +0000

any good sites that have Free downloadable ebooks?
is there a site where i can get NEW Free ebooks instead of old classics and novels?
I need a website where I can download some Free ebooks. (Mostly Literature and Art)
|is there any website where you can read Free eBooks. but alos a website that doesnt have old books, that it has newer books like the Clique and stuff.
|where can i find free ebooks, if thats possible?
|I know there are sites that I can download free ebooks onto my computer but are there any that would allow me to download them directly onto my iPod? I do not want to jailbreak it, so don’t suggest that. Thanks!
|I want to find ebooks that are free and contain reselling rights…
If anybody does find it….
Thanks a bunch!
|Where can I download free ebooks and mp3 ebooks about different subjects for free?
|hi am preparing for my licensure exam for physical therapy in the philippines.. its been a long time since i graduated and now im planning to take the local board exam next year, i dont have updated books and notes thats why im looking for a free ebooks or website where i can find topics line human anatomy and physiology and most especially subjects in physical therapy.
|I know of some marketers who write ebook after ebook. They even offer free ebooks every now and then. How can the afford it?
}

Comment on Kindle app Android How do I transfer personal documents to my Kindle Android app? by Nook versus Kindle

Nook versus Kindle — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:16:50 +0000

Nook versus Kindle…

[...]Kindle Books-Free.com » Blog Archive » Kindle app Android How do I transfer personal documents to my Kindle Android App? – Discover Dynamic Reviews and Guides to the Best Free and Discount Kindle eBooks[...]…

Comment on Kindle Books Torrent How do you use bit torrent to get free kindle books from amazon ? by kindle dx reviews

kindle dx reviews — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:00:10 +0000

Kindle dx videos…

Kindle Books-Free.com » Blog Archive » Kindle Books Torrent How do you use bit Torrent to get Free Kindle books from amazon ? – Discover Dynamic Reviews and Guides to the Best Free and Discount Kindle Books…

Comment on Device Kindle 2 Save Up + FREE Shipping! by hp mini 210

hp mini 210 — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:23:20 +0000

I have been reading out some of your posts and i can state nice stuff. I will surely bookmark your site.

Comment on Is there a Kindle library? ie somewhere to get ebooks for free, like a brick-and-mortar library? by what is kindle?

what is kindle? — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:05:49 +0000

what is Kindle?…

Kindle Books-Free.com » Blog Archive » Is there a Kindle library? ie somewhere to get ebooks for Free, like a brick-and-mortar library? – Discover Dynamic Reviews and Guides to the Best Free and Discount Kindle eBooks…

Comment on Kindle versus Nook Kindle versus Nook. Which is better? by R. Musumeci

R. Musumeci — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:18:24 +0000

473 of 483 people found the following review helpful:

Price increase kills it!, May 23, 2009

R. Musumeci -

This review is from: The Wall Street Journal (Kindle Edition)

It was really nice to have the WSJ delivered electronically to my Kindle, but the recent price increase to $14.99 a month really kills the concept.
The original price was $9.99 per month, or $120 per year...a slight premium to the $103 you would pay for the online version. It was worth it at that price for the convenience of having it on the Kindle. With the recent price increase of 50% to $14.99 per month, or $180 per year, it really is not worth it. I also can't imagine what their justification is for charging a 75% premium for the Kindle version. Finally, it seems rather predatory of them to initially price it at $9.99 and then increase it to $14.99 after getting a bunch of people to spend the money for the device...we are now a captive audience and it seems they are going to extract whatever they can from us. Don't buy it.

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Comment on Kindle versus Nook Kindle versus Nook. Which is better? by Stephen "grown up kid"

Stephen "grown up kid" — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:24:32 +0000

1,223 of 1,255 people found the following review helpful:

Price doesn't make sense, May 14, 2008

Stephen "grown up kid" (Aurora, CO, United States) -

This review is from: The Wall Street Journal (Kindle Edition)

First of all, having the WSJ delivered when I am at home or on the road is a great feature. I like the Kindle Edition enough to want to keep it.

However, I have to agree with others here that say the pricing makes absolutely no sense:

$99/year for the WSJ print edition with the Online Web edition included.

$119.88/year ($9.99/month) for the Kindle edition just doesn't make sense. Especially since the Kindle edition has fewer features, and almost none of the Pictures.

So apparently the extra $20/year is for Whispernet delivery. That makes no sense because I could buy the Web edition and read it through the Kindle Browser for no additional charge.

Amazon, the pricing on this makes no sense. Either get the WSJ people to include the Web edition in the price tag, or lower the price $30 or so per year. Less content for a greater price is simply not a good deal.

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Comment on Kindle versus Nook Kindle versus Nook. Which is better? by M. Yergin

M. Yergin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:44:40 +0000

807 of 823 people found the following review helpful:

Yep - Good but not Great, December 14, 2007

M. Yergin (Novi, MI) -

This review is from: The Wall Street Journal (Kindle Edition)

I've been giving the kindle version of the WSJ a try for the last week. I'm also currently a print version subscriber, but not an WSJ Online subscriber. I agree with a previous reviewer that this is a good but not great product. Here's what's good:

- Ready for me to read every morning, and I don't have to go outside to get it.
- Includes articles from the Online version at the end. I've not seen anyone comment on this. This is nice, and allows news that breaks after the paper goes to press to be added to the download.
- Easier to read (no fighting with the paper itself)
- Hands stay clean
- Searchable
- At $120 per year, this is a good value vs. the print version at $250 per year. And I don't think comparisons to the cost of WSJ online are valid. The kindle version can go with you and be read anywhere, just like the paper version. The online version cannot.
- No ads

Here's what I need to see to call it great (are you reading this WSJ?):

- The What's News section. NO IDEA why this is not included now. Makes no sense. No pictures - that I understand. But why the What's News section is not included is beyond me.
- I want every article to have a small lead-in after the headline like what is included with the articles found on page one of every section. This gives me some idea of what the article is about because the article headline is not always descriptive enough. Even if you just give me the first sentence... With the paper version you can quickly scan the the first few sentences to see if this is an article of interest. Can't do this with the way the current kindle version of the paper is produced.
- I do miss the the pictures, althought the famous WSJ line drawing head shots are included. Would like to see some pictures eventually.

Ultimately, I think I will convert to the kindle edition. If some of my wish list items above are added, it will be a no-brainer.

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Comment on Kindle Books Torrent Can you download free books for kindle? by Nikola

Nikola — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:21:40 +0000

Hi ,

If you want big collection of great Kindle books just visit warezsokol.com .

Comment on Kindle 3 What are some things that you can do with a Kindle 3? by Alun Whittaker "AlunHW"

Alun Whittaker "AlunHW" — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:30:13 +0000

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

Absolutely, the first kindle book you should buy, October 29, 2010

Alun Whittaker "AlunHW" (Vallejo, CA United States) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Kindle 3 - the Very Fast Guide to Enjoying It All - free books, the browser, email, and more. (Kindle Edition)

... And I wish I had bought it before other, less complete, and less trustworthy user guides!

This could be the only Kindle user book you will ever need. As its name suggests, it has a "get in there, get it done, just the facts ma'am" style that is informative, non-patronizing, and often amusing. The author is either not a professional writer, or a very good professional writer in a heck of a hurry. The layout isn't fancy, but the content is readable, well indexed, very well hyperlinked, and very, very complete.

In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of what you can, and cannot do with the Kindle 3, the author also has strong (and strongly expressed) opinions of what you should, and should not do with it. Fortunately, he clearly discriminates between "can and "should", leaving the reader in no doubt about what's necessary, what's possible, and what's a desirable.

Finally, unlike many, released-for-launch technical books, I have not found a single statement in the "Fast" guide that is false, incomplete, ambiguous, or misleading (definitely not a professional tech writer ;). The is the first kindle book you should buy, and probably the last you should remove.

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Comment on Kindle iPad Would a ipad or a kindle be better for textbooks? by Jeffrey N. Fritz "Nikon Jeff"

Jeffrey N. Fritz "Nikon Jeff" — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:01:37 +0000

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Handy Useful iPad Tips and Info, May 23, 2010

Jeffrey N. Fritz "Nikon Jeff" (Morgantown, West Virginia) -

This review is from: iPad Survival Guide - Step-by-Step User Guide for Apple iPad: Getting Started, Downloading FREE eBooks, Using eMail, Photos and Videos, and Surfing Web (Mobi Manuals) (Kindle Edition)

I consider myself an "iPad pro." After all, I have two of them--a WiFi version at work and a 3G version at home. I use them both nearly every day. So what could this little reference guide possibly tell me that I don't already know about the device or couldn't figure out by myself? A great deal apparently.

For $.99 I figured that it would be only a small loss if this iPad reference guide told me what I already knew about the device, so I downloaded it. However, within five minutes of downloading it, I learned about using voiceover to read books aloud in the iBook app. Then a found a largely undocumented tip showing how to take screen shots in just about any app. Now how cool and potentially useful is that?

In just a couple of minutes, I got my money's worth and probably will find many other helpful and useful tips as a scan through this ebook. Sometimes surprises come in small, inexpensive packages.

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Comment on Kindle iPad Would a ipad or a kindle be better for textbooks? by Cara Mackenzie

Cara Mackenzie — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:29:31 +0000

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Full of hidden tricks!, June 6, 2010

Cara Mackenzie -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

I am a more advanced user who has owned Apple products for years. I thought I knees everything about the iPad, but this manual definitely opened my eyes to some cool shortcuts and hidden tricks. Apple certainly worked hard to hide such things as tacking screenshots and uploading eBooks you have purchased elsewhere. I was glad I could learn something new from this book!

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Comment on Kindle iPad Would a ipad or a kindle be better for textbooks? by Marcus Jose

Marcus Jose — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:24:47 +0000

72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

This guide is worth every penny, April 14, 2010

Marcus Jose –

This review is from: iPad Survival Guide – Step-by-Step User Guide for Apple iPad: Getting Started, Downloading Free eBooks, Using eMail, Photos and Videos, and Surfing Web (Mobi Manuals) (Kindle Edition)

While the iPad looks intimidating and may be difficult to master at first, the iPad Survival guide makes this trendy device very accessible. In addition, Toly K includes various tips and tricks not described in the iPad manual and even certain currently known issues, which really went above and beyond my expectations. One of the first things I did after getting my iPad was to download some Free games, and this guide helped me to find them.

But to be able to use the applications I purchased and the other features of the iPad, I needed to make sure I could use the interface efficiently. The guide describes every task in great detail, with clear step-by-step instructions. The author is definitely writing for someone who has never picked up an iPad, or any type of Apple or even any other electronic product. While the text is toned down for the complete novice, it still offers excellent insight for those who have used Apple products for years. For example, I would have never known how to turn on the Voiceover (text to speech) feature in iBooks.

I would highly recommend this guide to both new and experienced users who wish to go beyond learning what the iPad manual describes. While the iPad manual and other resources on the internet could probably provide the same information, the organization of all of this knowledge into one easy-to-read manual is what makes the survival guide stand out. You can always download the Free sample, look at the Table of Contents, and decide whether you wish to buy the eBook. At $0.99, it is worth every penny.

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Comment on Kindle 3 Do I have to pay for monthly 3G on a Kindle 3? by C. Vincent

C. Vincent — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:40:03 +0000

533 of 541 people found the following review helpful:

From a first time Kindle buyer: Good, but not perfect, June 11, 2009

C. Vincent (Rochester, NY) –

Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7″ Display, U.S. Wireless) (Electronics)

First off, I am a first time Kindle buyer, so this review will be more geared to those buyers thinking of entering into the Kindle market, not a comparison of past editions.

My first impression of the Kindle DX was that it was actually very small compared to what I expected. The entire device is slightly smaller (in height and width) than a piece of paper, with the screen taking up approximately 85-90% of the front. This was actually a nice surprise, since I wanted something very portable, but good for magazines/research articles. After seeing the size of the DX, I think a K2 would have been way too small for what I want. At the same time, the device is very hefty. Picking it up, it becomes almost tiring to hold up in one hand for too long (another reason I think this one is better geared toward short articles instead of extended novel reading). It has a nice solid feel to it, but for some reason I was expecting it to be lighter.

The kindle only takes a couple of seconds to power up and immediately goes to the last article you were reading. A row of buttons are positioned on the right, which let you go to the main home page, go to the next page of an article, previous page, bring up a menu, or go “back”. There is also a small four-way joystick to navigate around (which also has the ability to be pressed for selections). The joystick is very sensitive and easy to navigate with, although not overly sensitive that you hit things by mistake (at least very often – it has happened a couple of times so far).

For those in the market for an ereader and can’t decide between the Kindle and another device, I can tell you what made me go toward the Kindle: Whispernet. It is a Free, no subscription based service that comes on all Kindles. You get Free access to the internet anywhere Sprint reception can be found. You can purchase books/magazines/newspapers anywhere, and have them in less than 60 seconds. You can access the web, check your web-based email, look up directions, find weather reports, movie times, etc. Although the Kindle terms say that normal web browsing might result in extra charges, my assumption is that this clause will just cover amazon if they choose to charge for web in the future. As of right now, everything is Free. The Web Browser is very rudimentary and does not show pages very well. Even most pages designed for mobile phones showed up badly for me, although some were okay. The browser is very slow, but could really come in handy if some information was needed and no internet was available.

I have tried several blogs and magazines, as well as the native pdf viewer and all seem to produce well formatted articles with crisp, clear pictures. Lighter pictures tend to show up better as darker pictures blur together if they do not have enough contrasting elements. The one problem I have noticed with the pdf viewer is that some text/elements can end up being very small and hard to see. The pdf viewer is stuck on one size, which is slightly smaller than most pdf’s are intended to be viewed at. There is no way to increase font size, and the only way to zoom is by rotating the display. This zooms in on the top or bottom half of the screen. Rotating to a landscape display actually helps that problem a great deal, but some sort of zoom feature would have been nice. You can search in pdf documents or go to certain pages, but it is impossible to annotate as the Kindle lets you do in normal document files. Pdf documents can be sent to the Kindle DX via usb cable or through a special email that is set up for the device. However, documents that are sent via email are charged a small fee (I was charged $0.45 for a pdf slightly larger than 2MB – I will use the usb cable from now on unless it’s absolutely necessary to use email). Blogs I have subscribed to have continuously updated over the time I’ve had the DX… it is nice to have a constant stream of info to read even when not in the position to surf the web. Most blogs and magazines are subscription based with costs ranging from free to $1.99 or more for the more popular ones. This fact turns many people off since blogs can be found free on the net, but the convenience of having them constantly updated with no internet connection required and brought to you in an easy to read format makes them somewhat worth it in my opinion. Having read through some and watched constant updates while writing this review, I think I will be more likely to keep the blog subscriptions even more than the magazines subscriptions. Most blogs and magazines give you a 14-day trial to see how well you like them before committing to a purchase. They can be organized into separate articles/sections, and are easy to navigate.

There is a text-to-speech function that can be used in most books (Random House published books excluded because of a lawsuit brought against amazon). The sound of it seems a little old fashioned…

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Comment on Kindle 3 Do I have to pay for monthly 3G on a Kindle 3? by Susan Lynn Umpleby "Susan Lynn Umpleby"

Susan Lynn Umpleby "Susan Lynn Umpleby" — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:03:16 +0000

7,479 of 7,666 people found the following review helpful:

DX not quite all that--but has been improved a bit, June 13, 2009

Susan Lynn Umpleby "Susan Lynn Umpleby" (Ontario, CA USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless) (Electronics)

This review was written back when the DX first came out and--as has been brought to my attention--needs to be updated a bit. I will indicate where things have changed for the better within the body of the review:

I owned the K1 and then the K2 and love them both, so I was really looking forward to the DX. My plan was to use the DX at home, and keep my K2 for carrying all over creation with me. It wasn't long, though, after my DX arrived the day before yesterday before disappointment set in.

Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT to like about the DX:

1) Pictures are awesome on it, if the publisher formats them properly.

2) Those who complain about darkness of text on their K2 (a problem I've never had, btw) will be thrilled by the DX's very dark text.

EDIT: LIKE THE KINDLE 3, THE DX NOW SPORTS A NEW E-INK DISPLAY THAT HAS MUCH BETTER CONTRAST, SO TEXT & PICTURES REALLY "POP."

3) The ability to rotate the screen is great. Gives you a closer look at things like maps and charts.

4) The browser is a bit faster than on the K1 or K2, though that isn't saying much--it is still very clunky to use.

EDIT: THOUGH STILL CLUNKY, THE BROWSER *HAS* BEEN IMPROVED FOR EASIER USE. BUT STILL DON'T PLAN TO DO A LOT OF WEB SURFING WITH IT.

5) But web pages look pretty good on the DX.

6) It holds 3500 books.

BUT.....the DX just isn't all that. It has drawbacks that are really making me consider sending it back before my 30 days are up:

1) First and foremost, while it is true that it natively reads PDFs, it is really only a PDF *viewer*. You can't change the font size on PDFs, links will not function on them, and the ability to magnify pictures doesn't work on them either. So you better have LARGE fonts on your PDF before you load it. Looking at the PDF in horizontal mode helps a bit, but not by much.

EDIT: WE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO ZOOM IN ON PDF DOCUMENTS, WHICH HELPS IN READING THEM--BUT IT WOULD STILL BEHOOVE USERS TO USE LARGER FONT SIZES IN DOCUMENTS BEFORE CONVERTING TO PDF FORMAT.

2) The DX is too big to hold comfortably. It's not really all that heavy, but it is top heavy and you feel a pull on your hands. And that pull is really evident if you try to use the keyboard while holding it--you practically have to lay the DX down flat, it becomes so difficult to type.

3) They merged the number keys with the QWERTY keys (losing a line of keys). What development genius thought it would be helpful and an "improvement?" To go to a location within a book you have to click Menu, choose "go to," then click the Symbols key, choose the numbers you want, then close Symbols before you can choose "location." Whew! Or you can click Alt + the letter button at the top that corresponds to the number you want. Joy.

4) Before my DX came, I really didn't think this would bother me at all, but I have to say: I really HATE the fact that the "next page" button is only on one side. I mostly use the left hand button. And yes, with the DX's rotation ability you can turn it upside down, placing the "next page" button on the left side.... However, when you do this, the button is so high up that you have to slide your hand (not your thumb, your whole hand) up in order to turn the page. May sound nit-picky, but it is truly a PITA to break off reading to do it. Not only that, but having the keyboard at the top makes it even more top-heavy than when it is right side up!

5) when you rotate the DX so that it is horizontal, the "next page" button is either at the bottom or the top--in either case you can't just flick your thumb and change the page. Again, a PITA.

6) If you leave the rotation feature on "Auto" when you are not using your DX it drains your battery, so you must remember to turn the feature off when you stop reading.

7) Still no folders. An organization nightmare three times bigger than that of the K2 (which itself had increased the same problem on the K1): the possibility of storing 3500 books but only being able to sort them by author, title, and "most recent first."

EDIT: AMAZON HAS NOW GIVEN ALL KINDLE USERS THE ABILITY TO CREATE "COLLECTIONS." THIS LETS YOU ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKS BY GENRE OR WHATEVER YOU LIKE, SO THAT'S A BIG HELP. HOWEVER, FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, UNLESS YOU RESORT TO FIXES LIKE PUTTING SYMBOLS BEFORE THE COLLECTION NAMES WHEN IN "VIEW BY COLLECTIONS" IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ALPHABETIZE THEM! I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS GETS FIXED IN THE NEAR FUTURE WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE.

I will be fiercely debating with myself in the next week or so, on whether I really want to keep the DX. It is so disappointing. It has the potential of being a really great e-reader...but as it stands now, it isn't... Read more

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Comment on Kindle 3 Do I have to pay for monthly 3G on a Kindle 3? by Alexander Scherr

Alexander Scherr — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:18:04 +0000

6,155 of 6,248 people found the following review helpful:

Different and Better, June 11, 2009

Alexander Scherr -

This review is from: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless) (Electronics)

I have owned both Kindle 1 and Kindle 2, so I'm already committed to the basic idea: e-ink reading in a slim form factor with excellent connectivity to a large selection of books and subscriptions. I have come to rely on my Kindle experience, and it has seriously enhanced my reading.

The DX was not an obvious upgrade for me, but two features put me over the edge: the larger screen, and the native PDF reader. I now have the DX in my hands, and can report PROS, CONS, and NEUTRALS:

PROS:

-- the larger screen is a definite plus. I use the larger type size on my Kindle 2 (older eyes), and at this type size I get far more text per page on the DX. This makes the whole reading experience more book-like (and should be a boon to people who buy large-print books.)

-- the screen is also sharper and crisper than my Kindle 2 in a side-by-side comparison: the text is darker, and the contrast is much better, making for better visibility overall.

-- on a side note, the larger screen also makes it possible to read poetry on the kindle, even at large type sizes. On earlier Kindles, the smaller screen cut off lines, so that you would lose the sense of when the poet ended the line. On the DX, you can see the whole line exactly as the poet meant it, with the cut-off in the right spot.

-- the PDF reader works as advertised, and is extremely convenient. PDF documents appear on the DX exactly as they do on a computer screen. Moreover, you can drag and drop your documents directly to the device using the USB cable (or use the for-a-fee email if you absolutely must.) The only downside: at least for the documents that I've used so far, I cannot adjust the type size as I can with native Kindle documents.

-- screen rotation also works as advertised: it operates as a mild zoom on both graphics and text and offsets slightly the downside of not being able to adjust the typesize on PDF documents. One nice design touch: the four-way navigation stick introduced on the Kindle 2 is rotation-sensitive, and will move as expected relative to the screen rotation.

-- more of the device space is devoted to the screen, while the white plastic border around the screen seems to have shrunk, both in general and compared to the proportion of screen to plastic on the Kindle 2. I like this (but see below about the keyboard).

-- storage: I like the increase in storage space, and don't mind the lack of an external storage card. I can see some people having trouble with this, but only those folks who either a) must regularly carry around PDF documents totalling more than 3.5 GB of space or b) must have nearly 3500 books regularly at their fingertips. I fall in neither category.

CONS:

-- price: it's expensive, as you can tell pretty quickly. If you value the larger size, and the native PDF reader, these features may justify the roughly 30% premium you pay for the DX over the Kindle 2. In truth, the DX SHOULD cost more than the Kindle 2, and a 30% premium isn't unreasonable. But, for my money, Amazon should drop the price on the Kindle 2 to $300 or so, and charge $400 or a little less for the DX. Still, I bought it, and will keep it at this price.

-- one-sided navigation buttons: all of the buttons are now on the right side, and none are on the left. I'm a righty, so I shouldn't complain, but I found myself using both sides on the Kindle 2. Lefties have reason to complain, I think.

-- One-handed handling: I often read while I walk, with my Kindle in one hand, and something else in my other. Because of the button layout, this will be more difficult on the DX.

-- metal backing: I miss the tacky rubberized backing on my Kindle 1. When I placed my Kindle 1 on an inclined surface, it stayed in place. Not so my Kindle 2 and now my DX. This is not a complaint specific to the DX, but it's still there.

NEUTRALS (i.e. things worth noting):

-- weight: the DX is heavier, noticeably so. This is only an issue if, like me, you regularly use the kindle with one hand . . . and even so, it's still doable.

-- keyboard: the keyboard has 4 rows, and not 5: the top row of numbers from the Kindle 1 and 2 has been merged into the top qwerty row, so that numbers are now only accessible with an alt-key combination. The keys are vertically thinner too, so that the whole keyboard is no more than 1" tall (compared to over an 1.5" on the Kindle 2). At the same time, the keys themselves are a bit easier to press, a bit more protruding than on the Kindle 2. For someone with big fingers (like me), this will be a slightly harder keyboard to use, but only slightly.

That's all I can see. Overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses for me, and I'm satisfied with my purchase. I can now think of using my DX for work documents on a regular basis, because of the PDF... Read more

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