Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Kindle v Kindle

Fire is on the left, 3G on the right
I got my Christmas present from Kent early—in fact I got it before we left for Virginia. That’s because I have zero patience and once he informed me that he would be getting me the new Kindle Fire for Christmas, and I’d made the financial objections only to be overruled, I asked if we could get it Right! Now! So I got my present early. Yes, I know I'm spoiled.

My mother called this morning asking some questions about the difference between the Kindle 3G, which I also own (hey I am Gadget Queen) and this one. We had a good conversation and I told her I’d also post pictures of them both here on my blog plus give a quick assessment on how they compare.

The screen on the Fire is amazing. We watched lots of short videos on You Tube last week and they looked great on the screen. Streaming like that does drain the battery, and I haven’t yet looked at ways to store videos or movies on the device although it can do that.

The touch keypad is fine but I wouldn’t want to type lengthy posts on it. That’s mostly because I prefer keyboards and I'm really fast with them. I’m less speedy with a touchscreen keyboard.

See how well the 3G handles
the light from the flash?
Reading on the Fire is different from reading on my 3G Kindle. First, it’s backlit. Second, instead of buttons on either side of the screen, you tap the right side of the page to advance in your book and the left side to go back. The search function works as well as the 3G search function. I will take my 3G Kindle when we go places where I’ll be reading outside—the e-ink does so well in direct sunlight and doesn’t strain my eyes.

If I get a job where I travel the way I did with the last job, I’d take the Fire. When I travel, I’m generally not creating content while in the air and if I need to do that, I’d use a work laptop.

With my hand as a reference for size.
The Fire is perfect for consuming content which makes sense since that’s what it’s designed to do. If you expect a powerhouse processor, first reexamine why you are considering a Fire—start by asking yourself what problem you are trying to solve.

If you want to create content, get a different device. This isn’t the device for you.

If all you want to do is read, get a plain jane Kindle, which handles that task beautifully.

If you want to keep up on your personal email, check Facebook or Twitter, read your favorite blogs and maybe play games like Angry Birds, then give the Fire a good look.

If you’re an Apple fan, I can’t help you.

9 comments:

lemming said...

Love my Mac. :-)

edj3 said...

/snicker

There's one in every crowd!

Ben Shear said...

there's two! I love my mac as well. But I just got my kindle yesterday in the mail. It's the 5 way button version with no ads. So far I am amazed with it. All I want it do is be an e-reader. I don't want games, web browser, facebook or anything else, I'll use my iphone or macbook pro for that. I was never excited about the idea of using an ipad or fire as a reader. So for me, the kindle just makes perfect sense.

Judith said...

Thanks, E.

Diane Russell said...

Actually, 3 in this crowd, lemming. I use a MacBookPro, iPhone, and iPad. I love using my phone and IPad as reading devices. As Elizabeth knows, I've been using Apple products since 1983 and love living in my walled garden. :)

edj3 said...

You guys know I'm teasing you and I tease only because you all react soooo strongly!

Jolo said...

What if I want to play boardgames on my tablet?

edj3 said...

I don't know, I didn't look for virtual versions of the games you play. Sorry about that!

Jolo said...

Heh, I found this for the iPad:
http://ipadboardgames.org/