Apple iPad Versus Kindle Fire - Comments Page 2

Bought an iPad as Kindle Fire wasn't available in the UK at the time - haven't regretted it for a second mainly because it just works! My daughter bought a highly regarded Android tablet and after trying to update it and get it to connect to wireless for about 3 hours I urged her to take it back, get a refund and get an iPad. She hasn't looked back. I work in IT and have to say it's the best thing I have ever used and or owned. Accept the point about keyboard/storage etc. but just haven't found this to be an issue.

I've finally thought this through and after reading the other article of the B&N Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire, and all the other published responders. This is long. Bob, I would actually prefer to e-mail you.

I don't like rooting or jailbreaking. I know that many people do this, but if you want your warranty intact, or at least if you want the vendor to have a look, don't root/jailbreak. For brick and mortar stores, if you root or jailbreak your device, they can and do refuse to look at it. So I never consider this a feature of any device.

I read, I guess a lot, but I'm not in the "voracious" category of readers. I read about 1 book per week. I'm trying to improve my thinking processes, so I read 2 books of the same genre at a time. Read a section, change books, read a section, go back and so on. At first hard to keep track of the characters and plot line. It gets easier over time.

I am not a gamer and prefer the kind of games like Angry Birds, where you can do it for a while, put it down and go back to it later. So no RPG, no action game. I like puzzle games the most, like crosswords, sudoku, etc. Like I said, do that for a while, put it down and go back later.

Because I live in Hawaii, I do a lot of shopping on-line, and the vast majority on Amazon.

I also need to keep track of work e-mail as well as my personal e-mail. I do a lot of Web surfing since my job is to keep up with technology and some research. But every device has this ability, so this is a wash and I don't consider it any more.

General comparisons. When I search for books to purchase, I always look in three places: 1. Kindle store, 2. Nook store, 3. iBookstore. In terms of what I like to read and I read a lot of different genres, I rank Kindle store as the best with the widest selection (more on the Nook 2 MBook, later) and the lowest price. Yes, prices can vary between the stores. Then the next best, it kind of shocked me, because I wasn't expecting it, is Apple's iBookstore. The Nook store has the lowest selection and sometimes zero books. Caveat: I do not compare raw numbers, I have a wide range of interests, but I don't read all genres available. Amongst the genres I do read, I find that getting scientific books and journals easier to find on the Kindle store and iBookstore. Many times, the Kindle store is the cheapest. More often than not, however, all three have the same price. When that occurs, I get it from Amazon. I find the Kindle app is a little better. The Nook app and iBooks are ok, I rate them the same. Also, managing books is better on Amazon.

Kindle Fire - if your primary use is reading books/magazines, and if you regularly shop at Amazon, this is the best device there is for those two purposes. So, far as best as I can tell of my rather eclectic taste of genre, I have found more books at a lower prices than on the Nook store and the iBookstore.

Although Barnes and Noble like to tout Nook's 2.5 million books, a lot of them are public domain. Some are books that I've already read or the majority, I don't want to read them. But selection of the books for purchase is on the low side.

Now for what I have: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb), Nook Tablet and the new iPad. So that you know, I have had iPhones, from the original to the iPhone 4S. So, I am already familiar with iOS. The iPad is my first iPad. Now you would think that what would have seemed that the Kindle Fire is the best choice, I bought the Nook Tablet.

Nook Tablet - The one point is the SD card slot. I bought the N2A card so that my Nook Tablet can become an Android tablet, currently running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). On the Nook, in Android, I use the Kindle app. For shopping on Amazon, I just use a browser.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - This is my biggest disappointment. I got this via credit card points, so, no direct monetary outlay. The screen is awesome, the batter life is good, but connecting to a PC (mainly to get PDFs is a bit painful). But even with a decent battery life, I want to charge it every now and then. This is where it is a big fail. Included USB cable is way too short. Charging is horrible. Unless you use the Samsung charger, you cannot use it and charge. It just slowly discharges if you use other than the included, A/C adapter. Charging in a car is also not possible unless you get the Samsung version. Basically, if I let it drain, I have less charging options. The Nook Tablet with the N2A card is a great 7" tablet.

iPad - The screen is far better than the Kindle Fire. Battery life is great, a little better than the Galaxy Tab. Can charge virtually anywhere while in use. Since I've had the iPhone, I have bought quite a bit of content. I have the Nook app, and the Kindle app. Calendar integration. The iCal app integrares, all calendas. The iPad suits me better for work and for entertainment. The new iPad's Retina display is what I was waiting for. Is it worth more than $200 Kindle? By a long shot. If I were to get tablets for my children, the Kindle Fire might be what they get. But, I will wait for the next generation.

One of the cool things about the iPad that I never see anyone mention is that there is a Kindle app for it, so I can download and read the million Kindle books as well as the G-books and all the rest. The ONLY downside to the iPad is the price. Like the guy above said, if price were no object which would you prefer? I love my iPad2