Posted on 10/26/2015 8:31:18 AM PDT by Utilizer
Ars Technica UK published an article that might be of interest to those of you considering purchasing or already owning a Tablet. In summary, and in comparison with other similar tablets the Fire tablet comes out surprisingly well.
Link:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/amazons-50-fire-tablet-review-suprisingly-it-doesnt-suck/
pfl
So far, I’m liking mine. Got it on Thursday.
bmk
I also have an Apple iPad but it was so expensive that I'm careful where I take it. The Kindle Fire, I can take anywhere and not worry too much about it getting lost, broken or stolen.
I love my Kindle. I use it constantly for lots of Kindle ebook reading, web surfing, and reading of e-mails. Especially great when reading in bed.
Amazon is using the “razor” business model. Y’know, give you the razor either cheap or free, so they can sell you their proprietary blades. Amazon is selling these devices at cost or slightly below so they can sell you their content. the devices are just a delivery system.
CC
/johnny
Kindles use a variant of Android.
I remember Bezos saying several years ago that he would love to see the day when Amazon would just give away Kindles just for the reason you mentioned. The Kindle reading app is free for any and all devices, including the iPad, so you can read Kindle books however you can get to a reading device.
And it’s a fantastic business model for them. They store digital data, a fairly cheap prospect when a 300 page book is less that 1MB, and they earn money whenever someone buys a right for that particular file.
They don’t have to create anything, just store (and backup) the data. No warehouses, no shipping fees, no stocking analysis. Just sell a product that is always available and takes up microscopic shelf space.
I managed to acquire a cheap 7” tablet for evaluation purposes, and it came up somewhat lacking. One of the main drawbacks is the lack of some common capabilities that I have become accustomed to in Linux, such as the native ability to read pdf files.
Another major drawback is that you need to have some manner of wireless access to the net for most of its “potential”. Such as setting proper dates and times. There are no free and open WiFi sources around here.
The unit I have came with a single USB micropower cord and ac adapter charger, but I managed to figure out how to get the computer to at least see the device for now.
I can not access the net through the USB cable, however, which is a major drawback. Among other things, it does not keep accurate time which means I need to continually reconnect to the web for it to reset itself time- and date- wise.
For now, I simply use it as a bookreader (in html format) and occasional vid player -with headphones.
I am thinking of getting these for my grandkids, but I was reading a buyers review and it says you can add storage, but you can’t use it to store music? Well what can you store on it? Does anyone know anything about this?
It will store music that has been saved in an mp3 format, or at least the tablet I have will.
Android OS. (Not sure what number) Battery life hasn’t been really tested yet. I used it for a few hours on Friday, then had it in power save all weekend. When I brought it up this morning, it was at 35%
Just on the core memory or on the added memory as well?
Once again, thanks.
/johnny
Mr. GG2’s laptop croaked a couple of weeks ago so we went to Best Buys and he got the $149 Fire tablet. Its great. We looked at the $49 tablet first. I have a laptop but I’m thinking of picking up the $49 tablet as an extra.
Mine came with 8Gb of system memory, with 5 free for storage, and a microSD slot for up to 32 gigs more storage if needed. You can save files to either location.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.