Kindle Fire

[Tondi G]

This is the newest one right? Is the Fire better than the previous model? My DS1 is a HUGE reader and my DH feels like it would be a good option for him. He would like to buy 2 actually. DS2 has a Bday in May and DS1 in July. DH is considering getting them right away and calling them early Bday presents!

SO where is the best place to buy? My DH would rather buy them at a B&M store rather than online (not sure why exactly). I'd love to find some kind of a deal if at all possible although I am sure it's not that easy to find since they are new.

[kozachka]

Yes, Kindle Fire is the latest and most feature rich Kindle. My DS calls it a small iPad, and he does have a point, it's not just a ereader but an Android tablet. It is heavier than other Kindles. Whether it's better than other models or not depends on your use case. If all you want to use it for is read, then there are better options. DS got one for his bday at the end of November and I am hoping it would be eligible for return through the end of January. It is not as good as an iPad, I did not expect it for 1/2 the price, but I am annoyed with few other things.

The power button is located inconveniently, but it's really no big deal since I don't have to deal with it most of the time, DS does. There is no way to adjust volume without going into the menu, so if DS is playing a game he can't just easily turn it down like with an iPad or iPhone. I hate typing on Kindle Fire as it's word recognition is quite clumsy. These things are just a little annoying, but what really upsets me is that DS was somehow able to buy several games (at $1.99 a pop) and download a bunch of free ones, including a slots (as in gambling) game even though I turned off 1-Click purchasing. DS absolutely loves reading but prefers physical books so because of this and lack of parental controls I can't recommend it for a younger child.

Our Best Buy carries Kindle line. There are occasional coupons to it, e.g. when we moved we got 10% off. I've also see GC with purchase promos. Target might carry it. HTH!

ETA: The only way that I was able to identify so far to establish parental control on the device is to enable password for WiFi, in other words if you want to have your child to be able to use Internet, you are out of luck. I just wrote a long message to Amazon re: this and checked return policy. Our Kindle and cover should be returnable till January 31st, not sure about the extended warranty that MIL bought for it. Thank you for the 'reminder' to deal with this issue.

[sarrahanne]

I really love mine (and so does the rest of the family.) I mainly use it to read books, but wanted a color screen so that kiddos could play apps on it, etc.

We purchased mine on Amazon simply because we saved money on tax and we get free shipping. Here in CA, tax is getting close to 10%. You can always buy an extended warranty if you're worried about it getting damaged, etc.

[Kaylee31]

I love my Fire, but I also use it for web browsing, email, Netflix, a few apps, etc. as well as reading books. If you just plan on reading books, I'd go with less expensive version. I agree w/PP that the volume control & auto correct are a little annoying, but I like the 1-click purchasing, which I use for free & cheap books. Mine was a Christmas present from Best Buy. I'm not aware of any deals, but I know they also sell the Fires at Target B&M. So if you had a red card, you'd get the 5% off, which would at least cover some of the tax.

[TwinFoxes]

The Touch is as new as the Fire, but is just an e-reader. It has the e-ink system. I have the touch and love it. But we have an iPad, I didn't really need an iPad lite (Fire).

I think the fact that there are zero parental controls on the fire is a big negative. A lot of people love Fires, but it hasn't been as universally well received as the e-ink Kindles. If you just want something for DS to read on, and you don't want a color tablet for movies etc, basic Kindles start at $79. I think deals are hard to come by on Kindles, Amazon controls the market pretty tightly.

[michlyn]

My DD has a Kindle Touch - she reads for long periods of time and the e-ink technology is much gentler on the eyes. I do have a kindle fire - I had one originally, exchanged it for the nook tablet, and then exchanged it again for the kindle fire after they pushed out a software update. It has some pros and cons for sure. It is not the most kid-friendly with the lack of refined parental controls, so my kids only use it under strict supervision. For pure reading, the e-ink technology of the regular kindles is very nice. ETA : mine were purchased at Best Buy - no deals on it, though.

[Tondi G]

awesome thanks for all the info! I am pretty sure we would want the ability to use apps/games in addition to it being an ereader. We don't have an iPad but my boys have played with my sisters a ton. I think the Fire is the best bet for us at this point. I'll talk to DH about it ... I'm thinking going direct to Amazon is the way to go ... I really dislike shopping at Best Buy, Target is an option though.

[kboyle]

My DD has a Kindle Touch - she reads for long periods of time and the e-ink technology is much gentler on the eyes. I do have a kindle fire - I had one originally, exchanged it for the nook tablet, and then exchanged it again for the kindle fire after they pushed out a software update. It has some pros and cons for sure. It is not the most kid-friendly with the lack of refined parental controls, so my kids only use it under strict supervision. For pure reading, the e-ink technology of the regular kindles is very nice. ETA : mine were purchased at Best Buy - no deals on it, though.

i agree. ds1 & ds2 both got e-ink kindles for xmas and i wouldn't have it any other way since they are readers. i did get a nook color and kindle fire to play around with, but didn't want them using it other than a reader. my kids each have a 3DS, ipod touch, plus we have an ipad, so there was no need for another 'play' device. while playing around i also did notice that there wasn't much in parental controls, so anyone could buy ANYTHING from amazon in seconds. not sure if that was addressed in the update.

[kozachka]

I got a prompt reply from Amazon. They made an exception and refunded me for the apps purchased by DS even though it's been over 7 days. And here's their explanation as to how to set up password for app purchases. HTH!

You can set parental controls for in- app purchases. To set up parental controls for in-app purchases, open the Amazon Appstore, tap the Menu icon(present at the bottom of the screen), tap "Settings," then tap "Parental Controls." From this screen you can either require your Amazon.com password to make in-app purchases or set up a 4-digit PIN.

[nfceagles]

If you're getting it for games and ipads are out of the budget I think it's a fine choice, but I would not want my children reading on them frequently. It's like staring at a computer screen, bad for your eyes.

[megulis]

Whatever you buy... Remember to get a warranty. My 8 yo somehow broke his Kindle Keyboard. Since it was 2 days within the return date, we were able to return it.

IMHO is that when I see my son on the Kindle I want to know that he is reading and not playing games. I bought him a Kindle Keyboard 3g because if mine broke I wanted to have one as a backup because the Kindle Touch only lets you go on 3g for Wikipedia and the Amazon store which may not matter to many but matters to me.