How Amazon FIre HD is like the Titanic - not putting women and children first

I received my Amazon Fire HD the first day it was available.   Based on the announcement, I was pretty excited about this new version.   The reality is much less exciting.   It's not the features you expect that disappoint you.  It's the surprises.  

Size

Fire HD

Original Fire

The screen is still 7".  But the size of the e-reader is bigger than the original fire.  How much bigger?   Just big enough that I cannot hold it securely in one hand.    The pictures show my fingers grip the original Fire (right)  securely in one hand and the Fire HD barely in my grasp(left) with only the tips of the my fingers on the edges.\The narrower original Fire made it possible to hold in one hand and turn the pages with my thumb.   The Fire HD is just too big.

I checked the official Amazon measurements.  The original Fire is 7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45".  The Fire HD is 7.6" x 5.4" x 0.4".   That difference is major to the portion of the population with smaller hands.  Such as women.  And children.  Unlike the Titanic, the designers did not put women and children first. 

Bezel
What's a bezel?   It's that frame they put around the screen that displays absolutely nothing.   The Fire HD almost doubles the size of the bezel on all sides.   I understand the need to increase on one side to hold the camera, but why the other three also?   I find it distracting when I read.  It also contributes to the ungainly width I mentioned above.

Special Offers
Special offers is a fancy name for ads.  I dislike turning on my Kindle and reading an ad before I can see my book.   Amazon claims that "customers love our special offers and very few people choose to opt out."  After resounding negative feedback from the customers who do NOT love special offers,  Amazon is going to let Kindle owners opt out for a fee.   I will be paying, just as soon as I decide whether I am keeping the device.    I would also pay to remove ads on any device given to a child. 

The New Navigation
One of the things I liked most about the Fire and its interface was the carousel of apps.   The apps or books I touched most recently display as a series of enlarged (2.75" high) icon that I could quickly flip through.   90% of the time I navigate on my Fire from the carousel. 

The carousel is still with us - but now with a matching display of recommendations at the bottom.  Translation: more ads.  The first time I use an app I may be mildly interested in the "recommendations."  After the 3rd time the ads are just annoying, and consume battery to get content and refresh the display. 
 
Positives
The HD screen is nice, but to my eye, not that much better.   I like the camera and Bluetooth connectivity.  

 Bottom line - I am happy to still have the original Fire.   I am still deciding on whether to keep the new Fire HD or not.  I have 30 days to decide.