Anyone own both a Kindle and an iPad? Need advice

[Foggy Morn]

Like Illinifan, I often use the sepia and turn the brightness up or down based on the ambient light of where I'm reading on my iPad2. It does make it easier on my eyes.

I have a K1 and a K3 and have pre-ordered the Fire. While I like the e-ink of the K1 and 3, I'm hoping the Fire offers a few more features for making Notes and such. (I also have the 1st gen DX, but haven't used it much since getting the iPad. The DX was great for reading research PDFs at the time it first came out, but the Goodreader app on the iPad far surpasses it now.)

[ncb4]

It's been a while since I posted to this thread, but in thanks to everyone who chimed in with their experience and advice, I wanted to let you know that I finally ordered a Kindle Touch, and it arrived last week. I'm happily playing around with it, and want to report that in terms of the original reason I considered buying it—reading outside in bright sunlight—it is a complete success. However, I definitely see it as a complement to my iPad, not a substitute or replacement. In poor lighting indoors, the iPad is to my mind far superior: and I do like the larger page size, and the ability to adjust backlighting and contrast.

FoggyMorn, have you received your Fire yet?

[Jenne]

I currently have a Kindle and an iPad issued by work and I like them both, for different purposes. (Lately, I've even been traveling with the Kindle, the iPad, AND a 15" MBP. And an iPhone. So much for downsizing with text. I plan to get my own Kindle and iPad very soon.

[LarryA]

Interesting news on the Kindle Fire front...


Hmmm...

:-)

[ncb4]

Interesting news on the Kindle Fire front...


Hmmm...

:-)

Hmmmm indeed. Now I have another prospective TB bag to obsess about!

[Lani]

My husband preordered his Kindle Fire, and has had it now for a few weeks. He wasn't sure if he was going to keep it--he really likes the e-ink from the original Kindle. He told me that he turns the brightness on his Kindle Fire down so it's not quite so bright, and he's now able to read in bed with the lights off.

He's since abandoned his old Kindle, which sits forlornly on the nightstand.

[LarryA]

My husband preordered his Kindle Fire, and has had it now for a few weeks. He wasn't sure if he was going to keep it--he really likes the e-ink from the original Kindle. He told me that he turns the brightness on his Kindle Fire down so it's not quite so bright, and he's now able to read in bed with the lights off.

He's since abandoned his old Kindle, which sits forlornly on the nightstand.

I've abandoned my old Kindle too. I find the sepia setting on the Fire works fine, with brightness adjusted, at least when I'm indoors.

And it seems to work well for posting here, too. :-)

[dougmon]

I have both a Kindle and an iPad. I think that if you're reading a book that is largely text and not "Optimized for Larger Screens", the regular Kindle is best. But if you're reading a book with a lot of illustrations, figures, diagrams, etc...I'd go for the iPad. I'm certainly glad I have both.

[Foggy Morn]

...

FoggyMorn, have you received your Fire yet?

ncb4,

Yes, I have received it. Um, still trying to give it a chance, but it's much less than I was expecting / hoping for. I guess having used an iPad (and then an iPad2) for quite a while now, that I was expecting more than the KFire delivers. No bluetooth, no way to connect a keyboard (that I've discovered) so all text entry has to be done with the on-screen keyboard. Fine for search terms and a few short notes, but not much else. It really IS just a very nice Kindle and that's what I'm trying to enjoy it as.

But... there are no Collections (as on the K3) so I can't even separate my books into fiction and non-fiction - they are just all there in one big chunk. And there's no text-to-speech (again, like there is on the K3). The weight of it is also a bit surprising. Sooo... I'm sure some folks will like it fine. For me, well - so far, I keep reaching for either my iPad2 or my K3.

Sorry I can't be more positive. I really did want to like it. I'm hoping Amazon comes out with an upgraded one next year. I'll definitely give it a try if they add the features they've taken away plus address the keyboard issue. Right now, I'd have to call it an enhanced ereader but even that comes with shortcomings.

(Techie note: We've had a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the house since last spring, so I have used Android before.)

[blackfungi]

guys, i live in canada. i would love to get the fire. now, i heard that it may not work here in canada but that is only if you want to use amazon related media, right? so basically i want to use the fire and its android related apps for my daughter as an educational tool. download some toddler friendly apps, watch some youtube vids, some games.....i should be fine with the fire if i stay away from the amazon market/amazon related media. any help is appreciated as to whether the kindle fire will work properly in canada.

thanks all.

[ncb4]

ncb4,

Yes, I have received it. Um, still trying to give it a chance, but it's much less than I was expecting / hoping for. I guess having used an iPad (and then an iPad2) for quite a while now, that I was expecting more than the KFire delivers. No bluetooth, no way to connect a keyboard (that I've discovered) so all text entry has to be done with the on-screen keyboard. Fine for search terms and a few short notes, but not much else. It really IS just a very nice Kindle and that's what I'm trying to enjoy it as.

But... there are no Collections (as on the K3) so I can't even separate my books into fiction and non-fiction - they are just all there in one big chunk. And there's no text-to-speech (again, like there is on the K3). The weight of it is also a bit surprising. Sooo... I'm sure some folks will like it fine. For me, well - so far, I keep reaching for either my iPad2 or my K3.

Sorry I can't be more positive. I really did want to like it. I'm hoping Amazon comes out with an upgraded one next year. I'll definitely give it a try if they add the features they've taken away plus address the keyboard issue. Right now, I'd have to call it an enhanced ereader but even that comes with shortcomings.

(Techie note: We've had a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the house since last spring, so I have used Android before.)

FoggyMorn, though I'm sorry that the Fire isn't what you expected, I'm thankful to you for sharing your impressions. They are sort of what expected—at least, for those like us who already own an iPad. One of the reasons I didn't buy the Fire is that I thought it might seem—to me at least—too much like an iPad-lite. I was also concerned about the glare on the color screen. Has that been a problem for you?

I'm also astonished that it doesn't have Collections! Even on my free Kindle reading app that I use on my Macs, the Collection feature is a pivotal organizational tool. I can't imagine why Amazon left it off the Fire. Though I'm having problems with Collections on my new Kindle Touch; they absolutely refuse to import. I've spent a couple hours on the phone with customer support, and they even sent me a new Touch: which also refuses to import Collections. But at least I have Collections at all (I was able to manually rebuild them, and I'm leaving it at that.)

I help a 70-year-old lady and her husband with all their computer and camera and electronic devices, and she has been very interested in getting either a Fire or one of the new e-ink Kindles. She has never had an iPad, so I'm wondering if the Fire would be good for her. She needs something that will work simply, but since she would also like to subscribe to magazines and newspapers, I was think the Fire would be better than the other Kindles. What do you think of the overall ease of use of the Fire for someone who is not all that adept with electronics and the way they work?

[Badger]

ncb4, how do you like the Touch? I'm wondering if it's worth the extra $ over the Kindle 3 with keyboard.

Sorry I can't comment specifically on your question regarding your friend. I can say that for magazine reading, the color screen on the iPad is great; however, holding the iPad can get heavy, so the Fire might be a good, lighter-weight alternative. I have heard that the Fire is not as intuitive as the iPad, but ymmv.

[ncb4]

ncb4, how do you like the Touch? I'm wondering if it's worth the extra $ over the Kindle 3 with keyboard.

Sorry I can't comment specifically on your question regarding your friend. I can say that for magazine reading, the color screen on the iPad is great; however, holding the iPad can get heavy, so the Fire might be a good, lighter-weight alternative. I have heard that the Fire is not as intuitive as the iPad, but ymmv.

Hi Badger,

I really do like the Touch; it's my first Kindle, although I ordered both the Kindle 3 with keyboard and the Touch together, so I could try them both and see which I preferred. But before I go into that, note that the Kindle 3 keyboard is getting more difficult to find. Right now, it's actually more expensive than the Kindle Touch, which you can get for as low as $99, since the only version of the K3 Amazon is selling is the $139 one. (The cheaper model with special offers is only available as a refurb, without adapter, for $89.99. On Black Friday, places like Target and Best Buy were offering amazing deals on the Kindle Keyboard with 3G, but I'm not sure they're still available.)

So I'm not sure that price is the deciding factor. If you read the hundreds of reviews on Amazon, I'd say that it's largely a matter of personal preference whether one would prefer the K3 with keyboard to the Touch. I tried them both, and have posted a lengthy review on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R5SLTZX..._res_rtr_alt_2


This is my first-ever Kindle, and I found that I couldn't get used to the 5-way controller on the K3; nor could I find a way to comfortably hold the K3 without accidentally pressing the !@#$% page buttons all the time. People advised that I get a Kindle case so I could hold it like a book, but I didn't want to do that; NOT holding it like a book was part of my reason for getting a Kindle in the first place.

You'll read a lot of debate about whether the contrast of the screen is better on the K3 or the Touch; side by side, I couldn't tell a significant difference.

Perhaps it's because I'm used to reading on my iPad, but I found I took immediately to the touch interface of the Kindle Touch. It's a bit slower to respond than the iPad, because it uses a different technology (optics concealed in the bezel as opposed to a capacitative screen, as on the iPad). But once you get used to the slower rhythm of the KT (and learn some of the undocumented tricks of using it; Amazon really needs to provide better documentation), I found the Touch to be pleasant to use. The screen had plenty of contrast for my eyes (and I've had LASIK, so I'm kind of picky about that), and seemed clear and sharp: though nothing can compare to the iPad's screen or the Retina display of the iPhone. Also, I can hold the Touch in the palm of one hand and read it comfortably for a long time: without any physical buttons to accidentally engage, or a physical keyboard to inadvertently press.

I returned the K3 keyboard (Amazon made that very easy), and kept the Touch. I have had one issue; I can't import Collections on the Touch, despite spending a couple of hours all together with customer service. Amazon sent me a second Touch, but it has the same problem. Most Touch users aren't reporting this issue, so don't let that stop you. I finally decided to manually recreate my Collections, and now I'm fine.

So for me, the Touch was worth it, but of course, ymmv.

Hope this helps!

~Nancy

[Badger]

Nancy, this was very helpful! Thank you so much! I actually have a Touch on my Amazon wish list; I'm drawn to the Touch because, like you, I do a lot of reading on my iPad and I'm used to the interface. I checked Amazon today and you seem to be correct that the K3 with keyboard appears to be going the way of the dodo.

The weight of the iPad is the thing that is making me think I would like a Kindle. I have massive wrists (seriously, I have the arm version of cankles except the bulk is from overdeveloped muscles and tendons) but my arm does get tired out from holding the iPad for very long. It also gets hot, which is uncomfortable.

Thanks again for helping me confirm the soundness of my covetous impulses!

[ncb4]

Nancy, this was very helpful! Thank you so much! I actually have a Touch on my Amazon wish list; I'm drawn to the Touch because, like you, I do a lot of reading on my iPad and I'm used to the interface. I checked Amazon today and you seem to be correct that the K3 with keyboard appears to be going the way of the dodo.

The weight of the iPad is the thing that is making me think I would like a Kindle. I have massive wrists (seriously, I have the arm version of cankles except the bulk is from overdeveloped muscles and tendons) but my arm does get tired out from holding the iPad for very long. It also gets hot, which is uncomfortable.

Thanks again for helping me confirm the soundness of my covetous impulses!

Badger, you always make me laugh: and it set me to wondering what the counterpart of cankle would be for your "unfortunate condition." Forwrist? Fwrist? Your Hulk-like wrists notwithstanding, the iPad does get heavy if you hold it for long, and it does get hot. Since I like to read outside in the delightfully steamy tropical summer here in Georgia, this is a definite drawback. Let us know if you do indeed get the Touch that you covet!

~Nancy