You had me at Dear Muggles

Dear Muggles . . . says Amazon, we now have electronic versions of Harry Potter in the Kindle-verse.   You can even borrow them instead of buying.

I'm in.    Even though I have first editions of the last four books of the series bought as close to midnight on the release day as I could possibly manage wearing self-designed release day t-shirts and read cover-to-cover before dawn, I'm ready to buy again.

To be able to read my favorite books any time I want, from a totally portable medium like the Kindle is a dream come true.   I find I am buying books I already own again for the convenience of having them at my electronic fingertips, or because it is more difficult to carry them around.

Clever, that Amazon is.  It reminds of George Lucas's many editions of Star Wars.  Even though I have seen them in every reincarnation, I can't resist  seeing these beloved old friends again, particularly on the big screen.

Still loving Amazon Fire - 6 months later

Amazon Fire is taking over the Android side of the tablet market, and the Apple fans do not understand why.  I own both, and I totally get it.

Amazon is criticized for customizing the Android layer, but they totally knew what they were doing.   Even though I could use the classic Android/iOS page of icons to get to my apps, I don't.   I love the carousel with the extra-large icons that gives me one-tap access to what I was last doing.  It is easy to read and fast - who wouldn't want it?

Apple fans, obviously.   People with more time to waste than I have.    

Wait til the 3rd generation - my new iPad

It's taken 2 full years of massive self control, but I finally plunked down my hard-earned cash for an iPad.

It's not that I didn't want it before.   I just didn't need it, particularly at the functionality to cash outlay ratio of the original iPad.   This delayed gratification leaves me much less conflicted  when I finally adopt an Apple device.

So this has evolved into my personal rule about Apple - wait for the third generation.  The first generation usually leaves out some critical functionality.   For example, the iPhone took 3 generations, almost 4.   iPod took six.   The iPad had no front-facing camera and was a little on the heavy side

The second generation - basically fixes the problems from the first generation.   The third generation is finally the leap forward that is cost-effective.   By this point I knew that 3G/4G connectivity was a must for me.  I had investigated many apps and tried them on iPhone.    So over the next few posts, I will tell you what I am using the iPad for, and how it could be better.

Dear Santa - My Ideal Tablet

I have been resisting buying an iPad for close to 2 years, and my resolve in beginning to weaken.  I am an ideal candidate for tablet  - I was using tablets 8 years ago.   But none have quite hit my wishlist.   For the ideal tablet I would happily plunk down some iPad level bucks.

I just can't stand doing it for a tablet I know doesn't hit the mark.

So if Santa and elves can make it happen, here is what I want in a tablet.

1. 3G - or a case with a pouch for my Mifi
2. 7-8 in  screen size -  I want it to fit in one hand.   The Kindle Fire and Galaxy Tab both nail this one
3. Streaming video - that works.  Not like the Fire.   More like the iPad.
4. Great App Store - like the iPad.  I am under-whelmed by the crippled app stores on the Android tablets.
5. Front and rear camera
6. Bluetooth - for keyboard and drive mapping
7. SD slot - for viewing pictures, and transferring information
8. Long Battery (over 12 hrs)
9. Lightweight (less than a pound) 

And Santa - make it around $300.   In case it isn't in my stocking.  

We didn't start the Fire

Apologies for the lame Billy Joel reference, but I couldn't resist the pun.

I really, really want to like the Fire.  But even for only $200, I still am not sure it is a must have table

Things I love about the Fire:

• Streaming video from Amazon Prime
• Android Apps - chord bot and Quick office were my first.
• Web browsing - Total Web access
• The size - I LOVE a smaller tablet.   The iPad is too big to hold in one hand

Things I hate about the Fire:

• No 3G - Wifi only is so lame.  No card slot to add it is even lamer.  Using my Mifi defeats the small form factor, because now I need a case to hold both.
• Streaming video - works about a third of the time, and is choppy
• Navigation - If my documents aren't going to be in "Docs" (the logical place), then I need access to the file system.    Maybe I can find  a nice app for this - and Quick office is NOT it. 
• No camera - front OR back.  I want both
• No SD slot - even my Kindle had this
• No Bluetooth - so no external keyboard or wireless document/music transfer

The longer I have it, the more I like it.    I find it handy for quick access to the web instead of hauling a laptop, and struggling with a tiny screen on a phone.    Most people I know with iPads end up using it mainly as a handy  $600 web browser.   Two hundred bucks is still pricey for a handy web browser, but better than six hundred.  

So what I am finding is I definitely want a tablet.    Most of the tablets are too high-priced for my budget.    I may keep the Fire until something better comes along.  

Kindle Touch is better than expected

My Kindle Fire and Touch and both arrived.   Between the two of them, there is one excellent device.  But not all in one package.

Things I love about the Touch:

• 3G connection - Wifi only is for the birds, and I don't mean Angry Birds.   I want 3G in the Fire
• Battery life - a week or more is awesome
• Weight - less than a paperback book,  barely as much as a magazine.  Totally portable as something to throw in your bag as an after thought.  (like extra reading material that doesn't take up space
• Black and white screen - still the greatest for serious reading
• Audible Books!

Things I hate about the Touch

• Finding the menu button(s) - totally non-intuitive to push this grid looking thing on the bottom bezel (Even describing it is confusing!)
• Navigation - I want to look for my books so many more ways than they provide.   I need more search options, and list options.   Also ways to look at summaries of the books.  For example, a list of authors that will expand to show their books so I can skim the list.
• Resetting furthest page read - I re-read my favorite books.   I have had a Kindle for 3 years.   I want a re-start or re-read option that will keep my "new" place in the book.

So, because of what I love, I am seriously considering keeping my Kindle Touch as well as the Fire.   In fact, it may the Fire that goes back.  (See Fire review) 

Start the kindle fire

While browsing the Amazon site this morning I noticed a little blurb at the top of the page about the new Kindle family.  Family?   I clicked the button to be one of the first to see the new color Kindle Fire media tablet.

I ordered mine at 11 AM.   I couldn't order the purple case I wanted until later because the link for purple gave me brown instead.    Turns out I was 2 hours before the official announcement and had caught the webmasters as they were updating the content.

Ordered a Kindle Touch, also, with 3G.

Almost went for the brand new $79 Kindle simplified, but when I saw it did not support Audible books, it was a deal-breaker.   Even after ordering 2 versions of the device I still spent less than iPad 1 16 G Wifi tablet.   (available used on Ebay and Cowboom)

The only bad part is I have to wait til November to see it.