Amazon Kindle Fire demo

Amazon Kindle Fire demo



Matthew Hallberg · Top Commenter · Works at SerialTek
Meanwhile the rest of the world says "Who the F#$K is Marco Ament?"
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· 23 hours ago

John Biggs · Top Commenter · Gadgets Editor at TechCrunch
basically. Especially since you spelled his name wrong.
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· 22 hours ago
Nicholas Hoskins · Top Commenter · San Francisco, California
John Biggs case and point really, I hadn't realised...
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· 22 hours ago
Matthew Hallberg · Top Commenter · Works at SerialTek
John Biggs further illustrating my lack of knowledge of who this dude is and why I should care. ;)
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· 21 hours ago

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Kevin Cawley · Top Commenter · Boulder, Colorado
my daughter, 10, wants a kindle fire for xmas. no mention of an ipad. maybe it is the price point or the size or the name or some good marketing. not sure. but at $200 it is also in the xmas budget, and we will get it for her.
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· 21 hours ago

Lucas Rayala · Top Commenter · Hamline University
she's so going to see this post. don't put "from santa" on the tag, or you're toast.
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· 20 hours ago
Kevin Cawley · Top Commenter · Boulder, Colorado
Lucas Rayala hah! she would be frigthened... very frightened by this site. no worries; no posts about justin bieber here.
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· 20 hours ago
Tom Maxwell · Top Commenter · LAB Builder at LOCKERZ · 166 subscribers
Amazon is the only company, other than Apple, that can make it simple. No "QUAD-CORE!!" or "Tegra 3!!" junk. It's the perfect tablet for people that just want to consume some content.
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· 20 hours ago

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Aaron McCarthy
I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's a great little tablet that's perfect for chillaxin' on the couch or in bed reading books or web surfing. Love my Fire. Haters will always hate, fanbois will always be spewing their dreck.
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· 23 hours ago

Tim Kilroy · Top Commenter · Business Development Executive at Wayfair
Although the word "chillaxin" should be forever banned, I agree with you. For a small tablet, it has good battery life, streams videos (great for the kids), play good games (again, for the kids) and has a very good reading experience (good for kids and grownups), it is hard to imagine how much better it could be for the price. We pre-ordered the Fire and have been completely satisfied. It was $199...and some of the hiccups are acceptable for the price. But fundamentally, the Fire is a seriously good tablet and is an OUTSTANDING value. I recommend it to anyone who asks....
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· 23 hours ago
Blue Moon · Top Commenter · Early adopter
Tim Kilroy I agree, "Chilaxin" should be banned along with "delish" and "uber".
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· 22 hours ago
Harry Tormey · Top Commenter
Tim Kilroy As an Android developer I have to say, I think the fire is the first decent Android tablet I have used. Dunno why people are so down on it, for $199 its head and shoulders above anything else in the android eco system
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· 21 hours ago

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Jim H Zafrani · Top Commenter
I don't understand what people are complaining about. As a content device, it is a great device and not just for amazon content. I have Hulu+ and Netflix running on it and both run just fine. I also have several apps ranging from games to productivity apps and it works fine with them. Yes, it tends to be a little slow sometimes and it does get stuck at times but this is a version 1.0. Is everyone forgetting all the other version 1.0 issues that every device had on every list had? Do you honestly think that Amazon did not work on the next version and updated even before this device started shipping? Give it time people. The first Kindle was not perfect either and look at the Kindle Touch now. Amazon has a good device that is directly tied to their infrastructure and content delivery eco-system and will continue to support the device and content eco-system the same way that Apple does with its various devices. Lets not forget that the iPad had the advantage of having that system in place from the iPhone and the lessons learned from the iPhone. Amazon will get there. For a version 1.0 product, it is just fine and the majority of consumers will not have issues with it. Just ask my 4 daughters who continue to fight over it while there are two iPads sitting on the kitchen counter...
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· 18 hours ago

Paul Miranda · Top Commenter
So the Kindle Fire is basically an Amazon shopping cart in the palm of your hands?
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· 21 hours ago

Matthew Hallberg · Top Commenter · Works at SerialTek
yup, like the iPhone and iPad are iTunes store in the palm of your hands...
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· 18 hours ago
Josh Schermer · Top Commenter · President at Downtown Pets
Kindle Fire's should be given by Amazon free to anyone who spends more than $500, $1,000 etc a year.
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· 16 hours ago
Matthew Hallberg · Top Commenter · Works at SerialTek
Josh Schermer why? Do you get a free iPad with purchase of iMac or MacBook? Seem to be doing just fine with their sales model now.
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· 16 hours ago

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So Point · LSU
FIRE by Amazon-I would imagine still a good product for the price.
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· 23 hours ago

Warrick Wilson
The key was to get some hardware of reasonable power into the hands of people, with the software being adequate for an initial experience. Since these things can be fairly easily updated, the software will always be "okay" and the coming revision will be better. The fact that they left it open enough for the XDA hacker types to play with easily makes me think this is the first volley of tablets from Amazon. They've got a mindshare now - people talk about it as a brand and not just an "Android tablet".
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· 21 hours ago

Ian Alden Jones
"They've got a mindshare now - people talk about it as a brand and not just an "Android tablet"." - That arguably is one of the most important parts. In the mind of your average consumer, all android tablets are the same (in many ways they are). The fact that Amazon can give people a distinction it means when they go to purchase a tablet they will have a FIre in mind.
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· 20 hours ago
Derek Marler · Top Commenter · Designer at WePay
User Experience is a HUGE deal for any product looking to disrupt the market. It can have the best features and most powerful hardware on the market, and still not succeed due to a flawed UX design. Apple is one company that helps prove this. The Kindle is another example of a less featured, low hardware product that still hit success.
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· 17 hours ago

Miles Torres · Works at Copy | PR | Design
The fire, unlike the iPad, was never meant to be a bridge device between a handheld and a laptop. Its purely an entertainment device with a little planned utility thrown in for good measure. I think its great for what its intended to be.
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· 21 hours ago

Vasundhar Boddapati · IBM
What is Kindle's biggest failure? It did not add colour to the old kindle but added mud to the tablet. in other words people started seeing it more of tablet than ereader enhanced and things got shady.
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· 19 hours ago

Drew Izzo · Top Commenter · Co-Fownder at Fownd - a free service that returns lost stuff.
All about the content...Amazon has that. As long as they work through the UX/quality perception issues this is the future for Amazon.
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· 17 hours ago

T.j. Goldsby
Economic troubles + cheap awesome tablet means market takeover.
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· 19 hours ago

Tim Trinkle · Manager at Yesterdays Fun Toys & Games
Until people realize its better to have $200 in their pocket instead of a "Bigger Tablet" Wannabe
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· 15 hours ago

Viktor Arvidsson · Top Commenter · Umeå, Sweden
Something the headline hints at, but the article fails to reflect, is the long term vertical bootstrapping strategy that the Fire enables. Think about it. If Amazon were to go heads up with Apple chances are, the latter would come out winning. Now, with the Fire acting as a trojan horse, they can enter the lives of people hook, line and sinker. Once there, and as people see the need for more capable devices and become willing to churn up 399 instead of 199 Amazon will have one up on competition. Ecosystems tend to be sticky, no doubt Amazon's will be no different. Then, what do people choose? The iPad, having to switch systems all together (not entirely true, but go with me here), or the Fire pro - keeping everything they already have, and everything they have come to love (Amazon services).

Of course, I know no more than anyo...See More
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· 21 hours ago

Viktor Arvidsson · Top Commenter · Umeå, Sweden
And yeah, i did think of WebOS... just don't think they can afford the risk.
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· 21 hours ago

Troy J. Apparicio · Research Analyst at ForeSee Results
This article is brings about a point that many techies and those inside the valley lose sight of. The "mass user" just wants it to work for them. They don’t care about what new shinny platform or new chip it runs on. Amazon will laugh all the way to the bank as they fill a niche and load all of their content on the device.

It’s not about the hardware! It’s about what comes after you get the device (i.e. paid downloads). I think in small part Google bought MMI, to offer a lower priced tablet "take an initial loss or break-even" and get downloads. In the near future it is going to be hard for hardware manufactures to compete with Apple and Google/MMI and even Amazon in device price. They are going to have to source their product into those devices (i.e. Sony, Samsung, etc. into the iPhone) to make massive profit margins. I am not saying others won’t be profitable, but their profits have a possibility of being squeezed.

In all I think it is a smart play by Amazon and they will really see the reward in the H2 of next year!
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· 21 hours ago

Habibullah Khan · Top Commenter · Cisco Systems
I have to disagree with your hypothesis. The Fire for consuming content via Amazon is awesome. For everything else it is poor. You must remember a lot of people that gave it a chance are people who essentially said "We love Amazon, we love how it treats us and how it makes our life easier in so many ways. We're going to give this a chance simply because you're Amazon."

That's a pretty serious silent majority to piss off. But because Amazon has significant cache with them yet, I feel Amazon anticipated some of this which is why they rushed the Fire out in time for holiday season. They are banking that they will woo them with the second coming of the Fire including the inevitable 10 inch version. So I don't think Fire has won. I think it has one more chance. And I think Amazon knows that too.

But just one more.
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· 22 hours ago

Kendal Gergis · CEO, CIO, CFO at Entrepreneur
Because any of the $99 dollar tablets can do all this and a million times more.... all you need is a little knowledge of tech. The problem is, the world was soooo inundated with Apple products designed to make the computer almost completely automated, the masses now know NOTHING about technology anymore. They could save HUNDREDS if they just visited the XDA website once n awhile and did a little freelance "computer-nerding."
So here we have a "tablet" that streams movies, plays a few games, and reads books. My 3 year old cell phone does that...
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· 19 hours ago

Joey Yokupurro · Top Commenter
God forbid operating a computer be as simple as say.... driving a car. Who needs that level of simplicity and access?
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· 17 hours ago
Tim Trinkle · Manager at Yesterdays Fun Toys & Games
I too love fooling around with tech and seeing what it can do for me. But what about my father who is apart of the "Click and Pray" generation? They NEED something that will just work automatically so that they can get their work done. But for me personally, I enjoy something simple AS WELL AS something I can tinker with, and Apple's line of products seem to be providing that as of now... Will it change? Maybe, but right now they seem to know what is going on.
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· 15 hours ago
Kendal Gergis · CEO, CIO, CFO at Entrepreneur
So what the Tech industry is actually doing is RAPING the "ignorant techie's" wallet. Any of these android devices which are $99 bucks are pretty simple if you ask me, almost "Apple" status. And why are people paying more for simplicity? Paying more for less doesn't make sense... Kinda like the automatic and manual transmission. The manual is cheaper, gives you more control, and essentially better in the long run, but if you don't want to learn that aspect of driving, you'd be willing to shell out more for something that does it for you. Microsoft=Manual trans, Google=Triptonic, Apple=Automatic. I know the generational gaps when it comes to technology, my folks still ask how to connect to wifi.... but maybe it would help to SAVE people cash instead of taxing the ignorant incessantly and unwittingly.
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· 14 hours ago

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Andrey Taskaev · Top Commenter · Calgary, Alberta
Successful or not, I suspect the Kindle Fire will set a new precedent for pricing. I find that the iPad made people expect tablets to be expensive. This could have the opposite effect, as Amazon is a very recognizable brand.
Most users really don't know what a Tegra is, but they do compare pricing. And when you have something at this price, it would make the average user question spending $749.99 on a tablet (Canadian, that is).

Now on a less serious note, I think they should provide Farenheit 451 as a free ebook. I'm just saying.
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· 21 hours ago

Joey Yokupurro · Top Commenter
It honestly depends on who you are. Before the iPad, the assumption was that a tablet would be at least $1000. In fact, wasn't just about every site speculating a price of $850 (bare minimum) up to something like $1300 before it was unveiled? Also, not to sound like someone who is wealthy, because I'm not, but a tablet is, for all intents and purposes, a luxury item, and if you can't afford 500 bucks, it should be the least of your priorities.
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· 17 hours ago
Andrey Taskaev · Top Commenter · Calgary, Alberta
Joey Yokupurro That was the general belief, I agree. But $200 is much more affordable. I hope it will push the market to be more affordable. And yeah, I'm aware that this may not be the purpose of this particular device - but to a user that doesn't read tech blogs it's a Tablet. By a Big, Trustworthy Company. We know the difference between an iPad to a Transformer Prime to a Fire, but to most people it's just a tablet.
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· 17 hours ago
Joey Yokupurro · Top Commenter
Andrey Taskaev True, I just hope that people don't see others' iPads, and then order a Kindle expecting something that isn't much much smaller in their hands. I played with one and, even though it shouldn't "seem" tiny, it sure did feel awfully little. I also found the browsing of non-mobile sites to be a bit awkward. Then when I used my iPad later in the day, it felt huge.
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· 17 hours ago

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Peter Zan · Top Commenter · The University of San Francisco
Its great first pass. But as I've noted to others after spending some time with it was that I was surprised at its weight in my hand. I thought it would be lighter - especially given that its supposed to be a reading/consumption device. I personally found it starting to cause some discomfort in my wrist after only a relatively short period of time. Fire2 in my mind has to shed some of that weight.
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· 22 hours ago

Nicholas Hoskins · Top Commenter · San Francisco, California
Very good article! I'm still waiting for someone with money to burn to create the worlds first crowdsourced tablet! Lets take kickstarter and made-in-china to the next logical step guys! Who's on board? I need two partners on odesk or elance. Split it 25% each with an investment pool left over for later, whatcha say? ;)
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· 22 hours ago

John Biggs · Top Commenter · Gadgets Editor at TechCrunch
I have some great guys to build it for you. They're called Fusion Garage.
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· 21 hours ago
Matthew Hallberg · Top Commenter · Works at SerialTek
John Biggs hahahhaha make sure to send them ALL YOUR IP, IT BELONG TO THEM.
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· 21 hours ago
Nicholas Hoskins · Top Commenter · San Francisco, California
Matthew Hallberg IP, pfft in todays market? You mean Illegal Piracy yeah?
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· 20 hours ago

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Bobby Fikree · McMaster
I find it surprising that nobody mentioned the Playbook, especially when discussing the Fire. I find it to be more capable, superior hardware and with OS 2.0 I have access to Android apps too.
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· 17 hours ago

Joey Yokupurro · Top Commenter
Honestly, I get the feeling that the tech world, and the public in general, is expecting RIM to fold at this point. They just seem to be adrift, and no one wants to bet a on a loser.
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· 17 hours ago

Misha Nasledov · UCSC
Asus EEE pads are the best. I don't know why anyone would want any other tablet. I've got the Transformer (TF101) and love it. The Prime is where it's at now. What's an iPad? Some sort of toilet wipe?
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· 19 hours ago

Phil Gastwirth · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I love mine also. Ive rooted mine and installed Android marketplace and the device is even better now. Just learned how to install and get tweetdeck to work with the help of people over at xda forums.
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· 23 hours ago

André Nader · Austin, Texas
If it allowed access to the android marketplace out of the box then it would have been perfect. Things I am disappointed with: #1. No Access to android market place without rooting. #2. No Swype
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· 22 hours ago

Nick Fleker Felker · Top Commenter
The people who don't want the Kindle Fire aren't the intended audience. It's a fine media consumption device. If you actually want it to do something... you're out of luck.
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· 18 hours ago

Donna Ledbetter
You've nailed it. I wanted an iPad for the longest time, but didn't like the price. When I found the Kindle Fire was less than $200, I jumped at it, and I'm fully satisfied.
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· 15 hours ago

Thomas Gambless
Thanks! This is the information I was looking for.
http://www.wagnermeters.com/
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· 21 hours ago

Javier Sanz · Madrid, Spain
Wow!