Kindle Fire HD vs Other Tablets

[Marmel]

I know next to nothing about tablets other than the fact that my wife has an Ipad mini and it costs a lot, but it is fun to use.

Best buy has the Kindle Fire HD for $125. Why is this so cheap? What do the other popular and more expensive tablets do that the Fire HD does not? If I'm just gonna watch some netflix, play a few games and visit FOFC, do I need anything more than a Kindle Fire?

Thanks for any advice.

[Ryan S]

I think that the Kindle Fire is locked into Amazon's app store rather than the Google Play store, so it might also be worth looking at other Android tablets as well if that is likely to be a problem.

You will not find a huge difference between the decent spec Android and Apple devices. Apple devices cost more, but that is because people are prepared to pay more for Apple products, not because they are significantly better.

[Logan]

My wife has an iPad and I'm not a big fan of it...but from a speed and responsiveness standpoint, it blows the other tablets out of the water. And hers is a 2nd gen so this might be even more noticeable in newer models. I've heard this is a common theme in the iPad vs others debate. Now is it enough to justify several hundred dollars difference? Up to you.

[Marmel]

I am not willing to spend the money on an ipad for myself, but a tablet under $150 seems like a good deal. (I got some gift cards burning a hole in my pocket and nothing to spend them on really).

I found a Nook HD+ for $150. This seems like an even better deal than the Fire. Any experience with this tablet? Seems like it has a nice, large HD screen and access to all of google play.

[DaddyTorgo]

The thing with the Nook or the Kindle is that you can root them with a small amount of effort and open either of them up to the full range of App stores and apps.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If you're just looking for a casual tablet, I would definitely recommend the Kindle. I have the original and the newest version. Still use both of them quite a bit for surfing, Netflix, reading, and a few games mixed in.

[Marc Vaughan]

I've got the larger Kindle HDX here and it kicks arse - its lighter than the iPad Air and nice and fast, for reading in the evenings its now my tablet of choice :D

[Desnudo]

The reason the Kindle is so cheap is that Amazon views it as a way to get you into buying apps and media on their platform. Unless you want to geek out, you will be restricted to the Amazon Android OS which is different than stock. That may not matter if you're just using it for a few basic things.

[Marmel]

Thanks for all the thoughts...I am leaning heavily towards the Nook HD+ for $150. I think what is pushing me this way is access to the google store instead of what the kindle fire offers even thought it is going to mainly be for Netflix, browsing the web, and other very simple things.

[DaddyTorgo]

The reason the Kindle is so cheap is that Amazon views it as a way to get you into buying apps and media on their platform. Unless you want to geek out, you will be restricted to the Amazon Android OS which is different than stock. That may not matter if you're just using it for a few basic things.

It's not really that hard to root a Kindle though, right? I'd hardly call it "geeking out" - particularly given we're all savvy enough to be posting on this message board.

[Easy Mac]

My wife has the original Kindle Fire and mainly uses it for pinterest, the internet, candy crush, and reading books. (It cost $100 at the time).

My daughter has the original Nook Color and after a bit of rooting, it runs pretty much every android toddler game flawlessly and even runs Netflix HD. ($70 at the time)

I have an HP Touchpad that's rooted with Android, and I haven't found an app that doesn't run great. I'll remote into my computer and play FM flawlessly. ($150 at the time)

Basically, any "name brand" tablet you buy from the last couple of generations will run everything perfectly fine for the next 1-2 years. There's nothing really cutting edge that I've found that requires buying a more expensive tablet. If you can get it for $125 for a Fire HD, I would do it.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - $125 for a Fire HD is a great deal, no?

[Matthean]

If it is the tablet version, I would drop $125 on it without thinking. Games could be better, but I have an older version, and the better games are coming on the tablet versions.

[Desnudo]

It's not really that hard to root a Kindle though, right? I'd hardly call it "geeking out" - particularly given we're all savvy enough to be posting on this message board.

I don't know his technical background or willingness to spend time doing it. If you asked the average person what "rooting" is they'd probably think you meant gardening.

[Marmel]

Rooting is what I do during sports contests

[Marmel]

Haha! I shouldn't be spending so much time debating between these two things. My wife says some reviews she found online say the Nook HD is better. You guys seem to give a lot of props to the Fire.

[jbergey22]

Good thread. I am curious as to what they all offer.

I have an Ipad but it is kind of heavy for reading extended periods of times and my girl always is using it so Ive been thinking about getting a smaller cheaper tablet as a 2nd option. The newest Kindle was the direction I was leaning.

[MJ4H]

Couldn't be happier with my nexus 7 (2013 version) ftr. Pulled it out at the in-laws and started monkeying with it. They saw it and asked about it and they went and bought two, one for each other within a day of seeing it for the first time.

[ISiddiqui]

Another vote for the Nexus 7. I have the 2013 version and it works like a dream - Pure Android and is screaming fast. Also a great 'remote' for the Chromecast or for the Bluetooth speaker for stuff that has been uploaded (for free) to Google Music.

[ISiddiqui]

Good thread. I am curious as to what they all offer.

I have an Ipad but it is kind of heavy for reading extended periods of times and my girl always is using it so Ive been thinking about getting a smaller cheaper tablet as a 2nd option. The newest Kindle was the direction I was leaning.

If you want something for reading, nothing will beat the Kindle Paperwhite... though that is a dedicated e-reader and won't do anything else.

[BYU 14]

I love my Kindle Fire HD, I have begun reading more than I have in years and don't even pick up a book anymore, all on the tablet. Games are decent and I found an app that converts a lot of other platforms to the Kindle, so that is not an issue. I also use it to watch ESPN and surf the web.

Definitely suits my needs fine.

[Draft Dodger]

I have a first gen Kindle Fire and I love it, but I pretty much only use it for reading. My kids do use it a lot for games, but they got their own stuff for Christmas so I might be able to gain control again.

My wife has a newer one and it's quite a bit faster than mine. I'd recommend paying the $20 for the 16gb of storage - they fill up pretty quickly.

[Doug5984]

Love my fire hdx, would have gotten the nexus 7 if it had Verizon 4g, didn't, so ended up with HDX. Love it.

[Wolfpack]

We have gotten a lot more out of our Kindle Fire that we got last year for Christmas than we did out of the Nook Color which we got a couple of years earlier, but that may be because the original Nooks were very handcuffed by the B&N store that was fronting them. Even so, the Kindle just feels like a better tablet for casual use. My wife has binge-watched 24 on Netflix through it so it's more than capable of doing things like that.

The Nook has pretty much been gathering dust since we got the Kindle. I have had intentions of just rooting the Nook and turning it into a regular Android tablet, but it dates from the first generation of Color Nooks. Can anyone point me in the direction of instructions to root this version? I felt like I read somewhere during that first year they released an OS update that effectively blocked rooting the Nook, but maybe I'm misremembering.

[RainMaker]

Does anyone have a Nexus 10? I like the 7 but I want a bigger tablet. At $100 less than the iPad I'm wondering if it's worth it or not. I'm rocking an iPad 2 which is starting to show it's age.

[Izulde]

I love my Note 10.1 2014 Edition I got for Christmas. So much so that I haven't used my laptop since then. Only problem is the battery life isn't great

[ISiddiqui]

Does anyone have a Nexus 10? I like the 7 but I want a bigger tablet. At $100 less than the iPad I'm wondering if it's worth it or not. I'm rocking an iPad 2 which is starting to show it's age.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Nexus 10. Though it was released in late 2012, so it may get updated in 2014.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, I keep seeing they'll launch a new one in 2014. Will probably wait for that.

[Coffee Warlord]

I felt like I read somewhere during that first year they released an OS update that effectively blocked rooting the Nook, but maybe I'm misremembering.

They did, and, surprise surprise, it got rooted anyway.

[Izulde]

Yeah, I keep seeing they'll launch a new one in 2014. Will probably wait for that.

If it's as big a leap as Note 10.1 to 10.1 2014 was it's definitely worth the wait

[jbergey22]

If you want something for reading, nothing will beat the Kindle Paperwhite... though that is a dedicated e-reader and won't do anything else.

Appreciate the suggestion. I may go this direction.

[Ryan S]

If you want something for reading, nothing will beat the Kindle Paperwhite... though that is a dedicated e-reader and won't do anything else.

I second this suggestion. It only does one job, but it does it really well.

[Marmel]

So I ended up spending a few extra bucks and ended up with the nexus 7.
I like it, a lot, but it is no iPad mini with retina.
Dollar for dollars vs the iPad it stacks up great though.
This is my first time with an android device.

[MJ4H]

Which nexus 7 did you get? If you got the 2013 it has a pretty much identical pixels per inch display. Of course it is slightly smaller screen size, but as far as the ppi it is basically the same (something like 323 vs. 324).

[Marmel]

I did get the 2013 and I did notice the specs were very close, but watching Breaking Bad the last couple of weeks on the iPad vs the nexus is a huge difference. It looks real good on the Nexus, but it looks and sounds out of this world on the iPad, IMHO.

[ISiddiqui]

Hmmm... The Nexus 7 actually has great pixel density than the iPad (ie, better than retina). Though the iPad is a bigger screen.

Oh, wait, I see you are comparing it to the new iPad mini - same PPI there.

[ISiddiqui]

Interestingly enough, the iPad mini with retina's color gamut is FAR behind the Nexus 7 and Kindle HDX:

Mini Tablet Display Technology Shoot-Out (http://www.displaymate.com/Tablet_ShootOut_4.htm)

The Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Nexus 7 both have Color Gamuts close to the sRGB/Rec.709 Standard, in the range of 97 to 103 percent, which is very good. However, the iPad mini Retina Display has a much smaller 63 percent Color Gamut, which is incredibly disappointing because it produces noticeably subdued image colors. In fact, it’s almost identical to the Gamuts on the much older iPad 2 and the original iPad mini. That is inexcusable for a current generation premium Tablet. It’s way below the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and 8.9, the iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, and just about all current generation premium Tablets and Smartphones

Two innovative Tablet manufacturers, Amazon and Google, have significantly leapfrogged Apple by introducing Tablet displays using LTPS (in the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and the new Nexus 7), and they are significantly outperforming the IGZO and a-Si displays in the current iPads. Apple was once the leader in mobile displays, unfortunately it has fallen way behind in both Tablets and Smartphones. This should be a wakeup call…

[RainMaker]

Any word on the Tab S? I need a new tablet and can't decide which route to go. Either wait for the next iPad or grab the new Tab S.

[Thomkal]

I don't know his technical background or willingness to spend time doing it. If you asked the average person what "rooting" is they'd probably think you meant gardening.

Correct :) So what is it?