Got a Kindle

If your cell phone can act as a hotspot, I believe the Kindle can use that.

 

I got my wife one for Christmas also. We have never had a previous one or a Nook or any other E-Reader, so I did not have any preconceived notions on these.

So far all I can report on this thing is good stuff. It has an amazingly clear and responsive screen. It has a very easy OS based on Android, but adapted by Amazon. This gives you access to the Android app selection too.

First thing we did was put in the security key for our home network. That took about 30 seconds and the thing was connected and downloading at 25 megs per second. Holy Moses, that was easy.

Then I touched the Netflix app and was watching a movie in about 15 seconds in ultra clarity. I know that Amazon has like 100,000 movies and shows, but I didn't try theirs yet because I have the Netflix.

The speakers are pretty good but not loud enough in a loud environment (like a truck, lol) so I plugged an FM transmitter into the headphone jack like I do on GPS's and boom, now I am playing music and movies through the rig stereo. Volume issues gone and the movie sounds almost like home theater sound.

Then I opened the browser and have everything on the internet just like you would on a laptop.

Next I went out to the rig and turned on the WiFi hotspot on my Droid phone and put in the security for that on the Kindle and boom, I'm back on again now with mobile internet. All the same features but not as fast as the house network because the Droid X is 3G and the house is cable of course. But still able to surf, start a movie, get maps, apps, whatever.

I added the WiFi security keys for my office, my sisters house, the wife's work, etc - basically anywhere that she goes on any regular basis and it connects automatically now when she is in any of those spots.

There is lots more on it that I haven't been able to play with yet because she took it away for an important appointment with some angry birds or something.

The bottom line from what I have experienced with the "Fire" is that it is a rather amazing and well-built little device with a ton of capability for something that only runs $200. I can see that an on-board storage complaint may arise (only 8 gigs) when you can't get connected to their free cloud (which will store all of your stuff there for free.) But again, dollar-for-dollar this thing is basically the cheapest "nearly tablet" device I have ever seen. I already see a "Fire 2" being one with 3G and bigger on-board storage, but I'm nothing BUT IMPRESSED with what this thing does for the price so far.

The next progression is always "how to hack it, root it," etc to alter it's capabilities, but I'm gonna have to get my own to try that stuff because the wife will throw rocks at me if I brick hers.

 

Congratulations!

My neighbor got one too. They are just now entering the 21st century. LoL. They have DSL for their one computer, but no wifi. So I had them go pick up a wifi router and set that up for them.

I didn't even get to play with the kindle! She was able to connect to the new wifi as fast as I was able to set it up. At that point I couldn't pry it from her fingers long enough to check it out! But it shows me it must be a well thought out design if a total newbie got it on the network as fast as I could set up the wifi.

I didn't know for sure it was android based, but kinda figured it was because I saw the swipe login screen over her shoulder. Looks like it is a great size. I have to carry a laptop so that covers my big screen needs. An Ipad sized device would be redundant to me. I carry DroidX which is about as small of a screen as I would want. The Fire really looks like a great inbetweener.


Enjoy it!

 

My SO wanted a Kindle for Christmas. I knew I would be an old dog learning new tricks. Nowadays, these things do not come with owner's manuals, but we found what we needed online. She is reading a 99 cent novel now and likes it. I was disappointed in the price of current best sellers, and the fact that one has to take out a subscription to be allowed only one very popular book per month. Tonight, we attend a class at the library about their e-books.

I am interested in the "philosophy" of who owns our downloaded e-books. Are we only renting them? Are we merely accessing our account at Amazon when we read a book?

 

There about 15,000 free titles on Amazon.

There are about 3 million texts and titles for free at archive.org.

Any new releases cost anywhere from $.99 to around $15 from Amazon and other sites. You aren't renting them - you buy them just like you would any book or magazine. The Fire will hold about 6000 of them at a time unless you have filled some of that space with music or movies.

 

Our local library is a member of a consortium that buys e-books to loan. We download them to a computer, but they expire in two weeks.

http://smdl.lib.overdrive.com/7B5831C1-FBCF-4878-851A-33A78613735B/10/708/en/Default.htm

 

Remember Odin is your friend if you soft brick it

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

 

But "buy" is such a fluid term. The only other way I think you could lose your books requires you to lose access to the kindle your books are on (maybe it broke or got stolen or the memory was wiped), and you replaced it but Amazon shut off their Kindle servers in the mean time.

I don't technically think you're buying books (some lawyer probably says you have a non-exclusive license to hold and read them), but it's far from a rental.

 

I have had the Kindle with 3G for 2 years and love it to death, other than the B/W screen. It makes it hard to see maps and stuff like that in books.

For Christmas my Wife gave me a fire, which at home works great but if I'm in the truck with no 3G I can't down load a new book or watch Netflix or get on line. I have an iphone4 can I set up one of those hot spots with it??
And if so, how???