Kindle Fire HDX

[vi edit]

I agree with you on the home button. This is one area I feel Samsung has done right with Android devices. I wonder why more companies haven't followed along.

Size, cost, and reliability. It takes up more space, costs more to make a physical button and cut out for it, and it's one more thing to break at some point.

 

[lopri]

It's still the only thing that supports Amazon Prime videos, correct? Are there hacks to enable it on other Android devices?

 

[vi edit]

It's still the only thing that supports Amazon Prime videos, correct? Are there hacks to enable it on other Android devices?

I'm pretty sure it's supported in iOS.

 

[Ravynmagi]

It's still the only thing that supports Amazon Prime videos, correct? Are there hacks to enable it on other Android devices?

Yes, iOS has Amazon Prime videos too.

Only way to do it on Android is through a Flash enabled browser and that experience sucks.

 

[cronos]

It's still the only thing that supports Amazon Prime videos, correct? Are there hacks to enable it on other Android devices?

iOS has a client (surprised me when I found out about this, too). I also used to watch Prime videos on my HP Touchpad with the (native webOS) browser

 

[cronos]

Just in case anyone doesn't know, Kindle Fire HDX 7 is $179 for today only (Amazon's Cyber Monday deal).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWYQ9YE

 

[Joe1987]

It's still the only thing that supports Amazon Prime videos, correct? Are there hacks to enable it on other Android devices?

The HDX does allow you do download prime movies on your HDX, that's pretty nice if you have a commute or are traveling in a plane.

iOS does have an Amazon player, crazy that they support Apple and not Android.

 

[yuchai]

The HDX does allow you do download prime movies on your HDX, that's pretty nice if you have a commute or are traveling in a plane.

iOS does have an Amazon player, crazy that they support Apple and not Android.

This is a great new feature - I had no idea. Unfortunately I have the 8.9" HD and don't really have a desire to upgrade right now.

 

[Imaginer]

This would be perfect for my mom. She's an avid reader so this would be perfect.

Kindles are even more awesome if you are a Prime member.

She would like the Lending Library feature and many Prime features on the Kindle Fires. Also a book for free from Kindle First for being a Prime member.

 

[cronos]

Bumping this up just for info that The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (Kindle Fire HDX version) is now free on Amazon.

The game won't work on just any Android device, only on the Fire HDX.

The description says that this includes "All five award-winning episodes plus special episode '400 Days'".

Go quickly and grab this! :thumbsup:

Edit: apparently while the title and a part of the description say it's the whole game, another part says it's only the first episode.

 

[zerogear]

Got a Kindle HDX 7", locked bootloader, cludgy interface. Not for me, returned it.

What is with the blue strips on th e side of the screen?

 

[TheAdvocate]

So many people seem to hate these things. My 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (2013) just arrived, to replace my first gen Kindle Fire. I haven't had a chance to play around much with it yet, but for the price ($189, less some GCs I had) and the screen size, I think I am going to love it.

I couldnt justify $150 more for the HDX. I dont really need mayday. The lighter weight and the stronger cpu are nice, but not twice as nice.

Besides being tech snobs, what do you tend to do on your other brand tablet that is such a deal breaker for the Kindle? I watch youtube, TV/movies, sports, read, light gaming, and surf the web on mine. The old one was a little slow, but this one seems to be more than capable, and the screen resolution is very impressive. Not really getting all the hate. Seems like a killer budget tablet.

 

[vi edit]

My biggest problem with the HDX wasn't function, rather form. The OS and layout is a cluster f'd mess of online and offline content. It's not something I could easily hand to my kids and expect them to fumble their way through it like an iPad. Which is another point, the Kindle Free time function was disappointing as well. Again, another clustered mess of online and offline content and with books that needed a microscope to read.

Oh and blue lines on the side. Bleh.

 

[Super56K]

So many people seem to hate these things. My 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (2013) just arrived, to replace my first gen Kindle Fire. I haven't had a chance to play around much with it yet, but for the price ($189, less some GCs I had) and the screen size, I think I am going to love it.

I couldnt justify $150 more for the HDX. I dont really need mayday. The lighter weight and the stronger cpu are nice, but not twice as nice.

Besides being tech snobs, what do you tend to do on your other brand tablet that is such a deal breaker for the Kindle? I watch youtube, TV/movies, sports, read, light gaming, and surf the web on mine. The old one was a little slow, but this one seems to be more than capable, and the screen resolution is very impressive. Not really getting all the hate. Seems like a killer budget tablet.

Sounds like you've been conditioned to the Fire OS - especially if you're a repeat customer coming from a 1st gen. You're already used to it, and getting a recent device is a nice upgrade - no doubt about that - but as for the rest of us...

It's not unusable by any means but it's a mess of an OS usability wise, the app store is bad, the web browser is bad, the in-hand feel is weird (talking about a 7" HDX with the beveled back), the power/volume buttons are horrible, and I could go on if I still had it around but it's been returned as of about a month ago. I compared it directly against a 2013 Nexus 7, and once I got that HDX delivered I found all new appreciation for the Nexus at the same price point. It ended up convincing me that the 2013 Nexus 7 is the best cheap tablet out there, but the one notable win for the HDX was its screen. It really was a lot nicer, but the 7's screen is plenty good on its own.

Call it whatever you want, but the experience on the 7" Fire HDX was just full of cons compared to a Nexus 7 and fared even worse compared to an iPad. It only took me about a week of back and forth to know that choosing the 7" HDX over the Nexus 7 would be a bad decision. So, from my standpoint, on a budget a Fire doesn't make much sense when a 2013 Nexus 7 can be had for under $200. Along with that, from a premium perspective, an HDX 8.9" Fire doesn't make a lot of sense because you could spend about the same or a little more for an iPad, and then have access to pretty much every Amazon service along with the superior iOS app store - which includes Google services that Amazon doesn't offer and everything else under the sun.

 

[sweenish]

Sounds like you've been conditioned to the Fire OS - especially if you're a repeat customer coming from a 1st gen. You're already used to it, and getting a recent device is a nice upgrade - no doubt about that - but as for the rest of us...

It's not unusable by any means but it's a mess of an OS usability wise, the app store is bad, the web browser is bad, the in-hand feel is weird (talking about a 7" HDX with the beveled back), the power/volume buttons are horrible, and I could go on if I still had it around but it's been returned as of about a month ago. I compared it directly against a 2013 Nexus 7, and once I got that HDX delivered I found all new appreciation for the Nexus at the same price point. It ended up convincing me that the 2013 Nexus 7 is the best cheap tablet out there, but the one notable win for the HDX was its screen. It really was a lot nicer, but the 7's screen is plenty good on its own.

Call it whatever you want, but the experience on the 7" Fire HDX was just full of cons compared to a Nexus 7 and fared even worse compared to an iPad. It only took me about a week of back and forth to know that choosing the 7" HDX over the Nexus 7 would be a bad decision. So, from my standpoint, on a budget a Fire doesn't make much sense when a 2013 Nexus 7 can be had for under $200. Along with that, from a premium perspective, an HDX 8.9" Fire doesn't make a lot of sense because you could spend about the same or a little more for an iPad, and then have access to pretty much every Amazon service along with the superior iOS app store - which includes Google services that Amazon doesn't offer and everything else under the sun.

Hit the nail on the head. There's a lot to not like about Kindle devices, and the competition is very stiff. I would recommend a Nexus 7 99 times out of a hundred over any Kindle tablet.

 

[Ravynmagi]

In 2012 I opted to go with the Fire HD 7 over the Nexus 7 2012 because the display, speakers, and wifi on the Nexus were not good and were excellent on the Fire HD.

I'm an Amazon Prime user, so that helped with embracing the Fire HD 7. I had to root it and add Google Play. But eventually I got tired of updates breaking root, so I think I ended up just side loading my apps and that worked fine too. I grew to accept the Fire OS and found it didn't bother me much. I just wish they had a better SoC in the 7 inch tablet to handle the animations better.

In 2013 I decided to go back to the Nexus 7 2013 edition over the HDX though. Because Google/ASUS improved the Nexus a lot with a much better looking display, better speakers and wifi as well. And I much prefer the smooth narrow feel of the Nexus over the angular wider HDX.


In regards to the 8.9 inch size. You have the Nook HD+ to contend with which is $40 cheaper, has a micro SD slot, and comes with Google Play. As much as I like Amazon, it would be hard to pick a Fire HD 8.9 over the Nook HD+ 8.9.


I've been thinking about getting an HDX 8.9. To me the higher DPI screen, a SoC that is 3 times faster, lighter design, and a newer Fire OS 3.0, is worth the extra money. And I probably would have bought the Fire HDX, but I'm annoyed that Amazon stops updating tablets after a year. It's so bizarre and makes no sense.

Kindle should be a platform for selling Amazon services and products. And Amazon should want their customers to have the latest version of that platform to enhance their services and selling experience, regardless if they have this year's HDX or last year's HD.

Even Samsung does a better job supporting older hardware than Amazon.

 

[cronos]

If what you're wanting is a general purpose android tablet, then the Kindle Fire is definitely not for you. And to clarify that, if you even think at all about the Google Play Store, then you want a general purpose android tablet. I really believe this has been pretty much the rule of thumb in getting a Kindle. You need to be an Amazon consumer who's looking for a device that helps you consume Amazon content. Otherwise you'll be disappointed.

To be honest, if I didn't get that $60 off from Amazon plus another $40 off from various Amazon credits I probably wouldn't buy the HDX 7 for my wife either. But now that she's had it for a few months, 100% of her needs for a tablet are met by the Kindle perfectly, so at ~$120 for that, I still consider it as a great buy.

 

[vi edit]

I'll fully profess my ignorance here, but can you even make folders and organize apps on the Kindle OS? I tried doing it and couldn't find a way. Scrolling through the "Carousel" annoyed the crap out of me.

 

[cronos]

I'll fully profess my ignorance here, but can you even make folders and organize apps on the Kindle OS? I tried doing it and couldn't find a way. Scrolling through the "Carousel" annoyed the crap out of me.

I never tried, so I have no idea, but if you have the HDX just simply install Nova Launcher or any other third party launchers and be done with it

 

[Ravynmagi]

I'll fully profess my ignorance here, but can you even make folders and organize apps on the Kindle OS? I tried doing it and couldn't find a way. Scrolling through the "Carousel" annoyed the crap out of me.

I haven't used the newer Fire OS 3 yet. But the Fire HD had a Favorites folder that you could add apps to and was easy to access. And it looks like Fire OS 3 improved upon that even more.

 

[TheAdvocate]

To address super 56ks points:

1) I can install any android app. I already downloaded 6.

2) I downloaded and installed Dolphin browser and flash within 5 minutes of opening the box. No browser issues now. Silk isn't a great browser but it is a whipping boy for kindle haters. Everyone I know with a kindle uses dolphin.

3) I have an HD 8.9 not an HDX. I prefer the feel of the HD if not the weight.

The Nook HD+ was an intriguing alternate.. but are they even making it anymore? B&N was about to discontinue it.

http://www.examiner.com/article/hea...e-fire-hd-8-9-and-the-nook-hd-by-barnes-noble

Comparison above. I have the newer version HD with a slightly faster processor.

I see a lot of subjective vague reasons and FUD. Haven't seen anyone give a specific example of something basic they cannot do on the kindle. I get the typical fanboy reactions.. but I am practical and this is a lot of tablet for the money.

I forgot to add that I wanted the dual band WiFi on this. It was a big selling point to me.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Amazon's specs seem to indicate the HD 8.9 still has the same 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470, I wasn't aware they changed SoCs in a newer version?

Yes, B&N still makes the Nook HD+. They changed their minds about exiting hardware business and will continue to produce the Nook HD+ and possibly make another model eventually. Though coincidentally, I believe today there was news of layoffs in the Nook hardware division. So who knows what they are doing.

For someone that subscribes to Amazon Prime and wants the better Kindle experience, Lending Library (borrow free book a month), Amazon Prime Video, Amazon recommendations, etc. Definitely consider the Fire HD. For anyone wanting a regular tablet, Nexus 7 or Nook HD+ seem like better choices because of Google Play.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Ravyn, you are correct. I was wrong. For some reason, I thought the Nook HD was running the older TI OMAP 4460 @ 1.2GHz, instead of the dual core 4470 @ 1.5 GHz.

I am sure this statement from the head to head review influenced me:

The Nook has the exact same processor as the Kindle Fire but unfortunately the Nook HD+ feels like it's generations behind the Kindle Fire HD during most usage scenarios.

Here are the full specs for all Kindle models:

https://developer.amazon.com/public...ications/01-device-and-feature-specifications

Amazon does not make it easy to find.