[EAJuggalo]

My wife's netbook is about dead and we've come up with three options on what to do. I'm interested if anyone has any experience with a Kindle Fire and what it's true capabilities are since every store only has a demo program that is nothing more than ad for the thing.

1. We fix her netbook, the power port isn't making a connection most of the time when you plug in the AC adaptor. It's about $65 to fix and might buy another year or so out of it.

2. Kindle Fire, Really the only things she uses her netbook for anyway is facebook, pinterest and online shopping. She's also a big fan of Ebooks which she currently reads on her phone.

3. We buy her a new moderately priced and spec'd laptop, something like this. http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0386509

I guess my biggest hesitation is I don't know how well the browser works with those sites on the Fire or if it would be worth it to spend the extra $80 for the actual laptop. What are your thoughts?

[Dalton Wayne]

Originally Posted by EAJuggalo

3. We buy her a new moderately priced and spec'd laptop, something like this. http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0386509

I'd go this route seems like a smoking deal to me

[schild]

I was just in the hospital for four days, on the last day my wife took her laptop back and I was stuck checking GT on my Kindle Fire. The Fire is at best a marginal way to surf the web and I think the key pad sucks.

I have both a Kindle and Fire, as an ebook reader both have good points, the Kindle is better in sunlight, no glare, the Fire is backlit so you can read in the dark with no light.

I got my Fire a few weeks ago when someone on GT said that Amazon had refurbs for $139, I'm happy with the Fire as a reader, but anything else is a stretch.

[unit 900]

I've been sharing my wife's Kindle Fire with her for about 5 months. I've found that browsing the net is speedy enough. It's wi-fi only of course, no 3g/4g. We use it often when traveling with our grandson. Lots of kiddie apps available in addition to the 6 movies in mp4 on it. I prefer a regular Kindle for reading books, but if you read on the net book, it will be old hat. Battery life is very good, speakers are adequate at best. Expanding the screen helps browsing a lot. The keyboard is surprisingly easy to use. Amazon releases a free Kindle book daily and there are some good ones. Amazon says" The Kindle Fire Email app supports automated setup of Google Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and AOL. It also supports most industry-standard IMAP and POP e-mail systems." I've not attempted to set up the Kindle to download my Outlook mail, but by the description from Amazon, that seems possible.

[Patterson]

You might also want to consider a BlackBerry Playbook available @ Best Buy for $199.

[Bushflyr]

Nurse the netbook along for another 2 months. Then get a Nexus tablet. I've been running a rooted Nook for about a year now and really love it. About 80% reading books and 20% surfing web. The browser and/or apps for FB (and I assume Pintrest, I'm not Takei) work well.

Typing really sucks, when browsing the forums I definitely limit my posting, and I'd really hate to have to produce any kind of paper, but in general it's 95% consumption anyway.

I really don't see another laptop in my future even though I spend a ton of time on the road. I have a nice desktop and my Nooky travels with me.

I'm definitely going to snag a Nexus when they come out, assuming, of course, they don't neuter the processor.

[michael_b]

Originally Posted by Patterson

You might also want to consider a BlackBerry Playbook available @ Best Buy for $199.

The kindle fire is basically the same hardware, cheaper, and with much better app and content support.


Posted from my iPhone

[chrisbritt15]

that laptop seems to be a good starting place the only thing i seen is you may want to add a couple GB of RAM and you have a good solid computer. one thing else you may consider, is the nook tablet, you can get those for 199 with 8 gb of memory and an expansion port for an external memory card. You can also buy rooted memory cards for them to make them run on android systems for like 10, but once again if your looking at 199 might as well through in another 80 and have a much more universal device, with the disc drive and everything. Just my 2c