hurricanemaxi
Joined: 08 Sep 2011
Posts: 66
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 Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 4:36 pm Post subject: An iPad Lover Plays With Fire, Part 1 |
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I'm a happy owner of an iPad 2, but I bought a Kindle Fire anyway. It seems like a silly purchase, on the surface -- after all, what can a Kindle Fire do that an iPad can't?
Hmm.
Not much of anything, really, except run Android apps and play nicely with Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) growing world of content.
In fact, if you pose the question the other way -- what can an iPad 2 do that a Kindle Fire can't? -- the answer list starts with a few key things, like the ability to take pictures, do video calling and even check your pulse.
There's no GPS, either, which means the mapping functionality is limited and your ability to use the pleasantly-sized Kindle Fire as a navigation tool means you're going to get lost in traffic or run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. If you aren't in WiFi range, it becomes even less useful (though certainly still usable).
But this isn't so much about why the iPad 2 is great as it is about playing with Fire -- what's interesting and hot about the Kindle Fire, coming from the perspective of an iPad 2 user?
Zoho
Start at the Beginning
When I first received the Kindle Fire on my doorstep, I was impressed -- it came in a tidy, specially designed box. It said "Kindle Fire" on the side of it, and because I live in a relatively crime-free suburban neighborhood, I wasn't too worried about some kid swiping it from my porch before I had a chance to retrieve it. But the box, it has a 45-degree slice cut out of one edge, giving it a distinctive look. With the pull string thing set along the cut face of the box, there's only one real way to open it: Pull the string and the lift the box top, which hinges up to reveal your new Kindle Fire.
I did the moves that someone at Amazon obviously thought out, and boy was I surprised. First, the box worked great. Second, the moves revealed the Kindle Fire nestled in an interior pressed paper form, along with a pull out tab of paper on the lid of the box that said, "getting to know your kindle." The words were all lower case, by the way, aiming for a casual and friendly feel, I'm sure. The tab had a simple set of instructions on it.
Why am I sharing all this minutiae?
Because it all worked. When I opened the box, I let out a low whistle and said, "Wow," with appreciation.
Jeff Bezos has learned from Steve Jobs: Presentation and packaging count. First impressions, you know, are powerful stuff.
How It Feels
The Kindle Fire feels both heavy and light -- because it's lighter than an iPad 2 (and smaller, with its 7-inch screen) but heavy because there is a big battery in it. Overall, it feels solid, but there are many more seams in its construction than on that of the iPad 2. There aren't a lot of buttons or ports -- in fact, there's just one small button, a headphone port, and a micro USB port, plus two small rectangular speakers. The back is somewhat rubberized, giving it a nice grippy feel, which I appreciate greatly and that I wish came standard on the iPad 2.
The display, when lit, is bright and clear, and the feel of the glass is wicked smooth.
It's no iPad 2, but the build quality is excellent -- especially for just $199 compared to the low-end $499 iPad 2.
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