My Kindle Fire came yesterday. Woo and Hoo! I haven’t had a ton of time to play around with it, but I thought I would do a brief, very basic walkthrough so you can see it in action.
And just a note – there are a few spots where I cover the microphone by accident so the audio drops out of a few seconds..just stick with it, it comes back on.
And, as I say on the video – if I misspeak, or if you want to elaborate on any details of the Fire that you think users should be informed about, please comment!! I am a newbie with the Fire and would love to learn everything I can about it.
***Edited to add: The Kindle Fire has WiFi, but not a 3G system (although it does do WhisperSync) So in the video when I mention I can take it to my kids’ soccer games and tweet, I can only do that if I can connect to a Wifi source.
What you missed where the audio dropped out? I think I need a cover for it. Although it feels sturdy, I’m afraid of cracking the screen – which I have done to several iPhones :)
Here is a nice link to some Fire reviews from Engadget, CNET, The Verge,
And you can get more information about the Fire from Amazon.
TrishJ says
Great review. I really want one now. Love your choice of books. From what I saw, I think I’ve read most of them. I didnt think the Fire came with 3G just WiFi. If you dont have WiFi, how do you access the internet? Is that what the Prime is?
Mandi says
You are correct. It does not come with 3G. I didn’t realize that until you mentioned it. So the only way I can tweet, email etc..when I’m not at home is to find a wifi source. So no tweeting at my kids soccer practices. LOL
Sophia (FV) says
Great vid Mandi!! I agree I love the size. the iPad is a little too big and heavy for me for on-the-go. I really like the Fire. Since I purchase most of my media at Amazon it really works out well.
Mandi says
Yes, the size is one of my favorite things about it now…and I was thought I would want it bigger. Plus the price of $199 made it a much easier choice than the more expensive iPad.
Sophia (FV) says
Yes! You can’t beat the price. :)
Tori says
Great review Mandi. I love listening to you. :) Kid has ipad2 and I find it awkward to use. I like the small screen.
I wonder if my nook usb/charger will work on here?
Mandi says
Hmmm..no idea..although my guess would be no
Lizzielvr says
I have a Kindle and a Nook (yeah, I know, too much) and you can use the same power cord for both. It’s good to know the Fire has the same one!
Awesome video Mandi, I bought one for my daughter, can’t wait to get it (although I have to remember it’s now for me LOL)
Mandi says
Oh! Thanks for clarifying!
MinnChica says
Mandi, you are too cute!! I don’t know that I need a tablet, but it looks great!!
PS: Election Erection? Totally had me laughing out loud at work!!! :)
Mandi says
Snort…how could I pass up a book with erection in the title ;)
Rhianna says
You got the Prime details right Mandi. :) I’ve been using it for 2 years now and LOVE the 2 day shipping (comes in handy when I do giveaways or gifts for family). Now that they’ve added the free Prime Instant Videos I’m dying to get my hands on a Fire.
I don’t like the size of my iPad 2. It’s so heavy and big. Love my Kindle but the added browsing capabilities of the Fire and the videos… definitely going to be trying to save my pennies for this one. Thanks for doing an overview video!
Mandi says
Okay good! I think after this month I’ll sign up for it. I definitely use Amazon enough for take advantage of the shipping!
For the price (compared to an ipad) I had to go with this. I think for what I need, it will fit well.
Brie says
Great and fun review! I’m thinking about buying one for my dad as a Christmas present, and I think I will. It’s not too fancy and I really like the size. I’m not into tablets but I think this will be a great gift and since he will use it to watch movies and tv shows, I think the Fire is perfect. I might have to add a subscription to the Amazon Prime service, though.
Mandi says
If you have NetFlix – you might not need Amazon Prime..I don’t know. I need to fool around with Prime more to see what it offers.
Julie@my5monkeys says
Great info and video
The Book Vixen says
Love your little confession about searching for smexy words to see how long until a smexy scene takes place. I’m totally going to do that now. LOL
Mandi says
*giggles*
Ava March says
Hubby just asked me last night if I wanted a Fire for Christmas, and I was like – I’m not sure. I do all my e-reading on my laptop (haven’t used Nookie in months) and my iphone works well for portable reading (I just email myself pdfs). But now I want a Fire *g* It looks darn cool.
So, one question – since it doesn’t have 3G, does the video streaming work via Whispersync if you don’t have a wifi source? Can you email from it (like yahoo or hotmail accounts)? If so, would you need a wifi source for that? OK, that was 3 questions.
Loved the video! You missed your calling as a video producer :)
Mandi says
You can download videos from home (or from a Wifi source) and then play them later when you are somewhere you don’t have wifi. But you would have to plan in advance.
You can’t email unless you have wifi. Whispersync is only for the Amazon Book Store – so you can download a new book from anywhere – but that is it for the online stuff.
I kind of wish a 3G type thing was available!
Mandi says
Sophia from Fiction Vixen pointed out that you also can’t make book collections – you can organize them alphabetically by title or author, but you can’t custom group them into folders. That would have been nice.
Missie says
Ooooh! That fast forward option is probably going to be my favorite!
And I never thought to search for naughty words…. You believe me right?!
Thanks for the show and tell.
Mandi says
Uh huh…suuuurrre ;)
Samantha says
Great video. Thanks for doing this. Can’t wait to play with my Fire tonight. It’s waiting for me at home. I’ve been on the K2 since it got released and I think I’m most looking forward to being able to fast forward quickly through books. (oh the simple things)
On a side note, your voice sounds nothing like what I imagined!
Mandi says
I hope you have fun with it :)
I don’t think people’s voices ever sound like you expect..LOL
Samantha says
Love your voice. We need more video blogs from you in the future. :-) Yeah voices never sound like what you expect. When people meet me for the first time I’m often asked what part of the south i’m from. I’m like,” uhh I’m from Northern CA.”
Tori says
One cool thing I found out is you can get 3 months free prime if your a mommy. There is a form you fill out. And when you buy certain kid stuff on amazon it will extend your membership.
Hilcia says
Great video! I just received mine and I’m really enjoying it too. I love that it serves both as a small pad and a reader — it’s the perfect size to fit in my bag. The WiFi is kind of a bummer… but, I will work with it. :) Definitely get a case, it’s worth it. The case I have has a hard back and the front is flexible. It works beautifully, plus it really keeps the device safe. Enjoy yours!
twimom227 says
Thanks for the information and review. I ended up buying an iPad 2 (b/c I didn’t have one yet) for our family and skipped the Fire. I purchase movies, TV shows, etc from iTunes, and it would be silly to change over to a device that I would have to start over. The kids can watch videos on their iTouch or the iPad (or even my phone).
However, I’m thinking about getting the newest Kindle or Kindle Touch to replace my Kindle 2. I like the eink remains – but larger screen and touch are nice features. Do you know of anyone who has them?
ev says
I just got mine today and I haven’t had a chance to really sit down and play with it much. Yet. I did order a cover for it which will be here in a couple of days. It will also let me prop it up. Lucked out after I pre-ordered it and they dropped the price so I got a credit on it. It’s not like I won’t spend the money there anyway. While I have been waiting, I have been stockpiling the free books they have had on the daily emails I get. I have a ton to read already. Day off tomorrow, so I hope I get to play with it.
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