Customer Reviews

Kindle Fire 7", LCD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - With Special Offers [Previous Generation]

Having fun with my Kindle Fire - Great for reading, watching films/TV and listening to music. Great media consumption device. Browsing the web is easy and quick. The whole thing is just great to have on the table. So many films and shows to watch (I love horror movies and have been catching up on the old Black and white B movies)....

I have had problems with magazines, the formatting poor for the titles I have tried, I guess they are trying to catch up with the 7"inch concept... maybe panel views would be better for this type of reading.

I have seen a lot of 1 star reviews and read them - seem most are complaining about not being able to buy the device at all due to where they live, or people who do not even own the device just touting other products. Not sure why such reviews are left up as they are not product reviews.

To address a few of the reviews that do seem to at least come from people who have bought one..

That it is flimsy: The Kindle fire is anything but flimsy, it is solid and has a bit of weight to it making it feel very sturdy/solid.

Takes ages to connect to wi-fi: When I switched on my K-Fire the first thing it asked was for my network password, it then connected, so from hitting the on switch to connecting to the wi-fi was around 40 seconds, after that it connects within seconds everytime you turn the device on.

Advertising is invasive: I have the model that has advertising - it is just a screensaver at the initial screen where you unlock the device, thats it - you see it for a few seconds, and its then gone.

Books take ages to download: Books download within seconds, video streaming is around a 8-10 second delay to start but then plays films with no buffering (hell my PC is custom built for gaming with fast cpu/graphics cards/wi-fi card - and it buffers on the same wi-fi that the kindle has no problems with). I think this is more to do with people having poor internet connections which is not the devices fault.

The only thing I am disapointed with is the fact I bought this a few weeks ago for �130.00 and today it's on sale for �99.00 as part of their Black Friday sale.... that's �30 worth of music/films/other items I could have gotten if I had held of for a bit (it's not as though the fire has been out for a while and we could expect to see the price fall).

with that said - at �130 this is a great device - at �99... seriously you should be buying it this instant.

First impressions - the Kindle Fire is slightly heavier than I anticipated, but has a well made feel, with a smooth rubberised back and concealed on/off switch. The ereader has good resolution for static images, and vivid colours which make web browsing a pleasure. However, the default brightness setting was quite hard on my eyes and needed lowering when in an ebook, probably due to the amount of white on the page. Standard touchscreen pinch/spread function allows you to adjust the text size to your own requirements when web browsing. I assume this is adjustable in the ereader function too, though haven't worked out how just yet. Having watched a few film trailers and Youtubes I think if you are planning on using your Kindle for videos and films you might be better off with the HD version as moving images didn't seem quite as crisp as static web browsing.

Kindle Fire has an impressively quick response time with minimal lag as you scroll through web pages (though whether this remains the case as content is added we will have to wait and see). It's easy to open new tabs, bookmark pages etc, and all the sites I've visisted so far - BBC News, Facebook, MSN and so on - all nicely displayed/configured for this size of tablet.

I will say that I did struggle to get wifi connected initially (the format of the wifi password seems more important to Kindle than it did to my laptop or iphone, both of which happily accepted the short code on the router/modem. For the Kindle, I actually had to find the full code on my laptop control panel and enter it in that exact format for authentication to work). Once up and running I didn't find all the features of the Fire quite as intuitive to navigate as I might have expected - even as a long time iphone user used to touchscreen technology. For example it took me a couple of hours just to find the settings menu! A paper guide (other than the very basic one included that only tells you how to charge the thing) would be useful for a lot of us.

Not sure how applicable some of the features are to UK users right now - got all excited about 'Newstand', but then noticed most of the papers and magazines were American (even though I had UK settings selected). And furthermore, many are only available to read on Kindle if you have the paper subscription first.

There's no charger, which annoyed me - and the wording of the Amazon listing implies there is, because in the accessories list there is mention of a super duper high speed charger, which kind of suggests that the Fire comes with a a bog standard charger and you only need pay extra if you want to upgrade. In fact, what you get is a USB cable so you can charge through your computer, but this takes an absolute eternity (11 hours+) and I really would have liked something that would plug directly into the power supply on my train so I could use it on the way to and from work without draining power.

On the plus side, I linked into my Amazon account very easily indeed, and was immediately able to see books already purchased (which I'd been reading on my iphone Kindle App). However I couldn't actually access some of them due to`DRM', which is presumably some sort of royalties issue. I was instructed to redownload or repurchase, which was to say the least a bit frustrating. Also, my Kindle was set to the US store by default so I had to change to the UK store to get personalised recommendations and prices in �.

Overall, although the Kindle Fire has a fair few niggly annoyances, I'm pretty impressed with the general build quality and screen resolution, and see this as an affordable tablet, rather than just another ereader. I would recommend anyone making a purchase to seriously think about getting a case though, as I can't see the screen surviving too many knocks, and also the high speed charger, as the computer charge thingy is driving me nuts already. Or, if you have an iphone, I'm guessing the Kindle cable may well connect to the iphone charger. And, yes, it really should have had 3G too.

Update 3 days after purchase:-

There are now a number of UK magazines and papers available with UK pricing - I've taken free trial subscriptions to Vogue and Olive. There's also Marie Claire and Ideal Home, and blokey stuff like Classic Car and Health and Fitness. Papers include Le Monde and The Mail Plus (not that I'd touch the latter with a bargepole!). So the Newstand situation is improving.

Still quite impressed with this little gadget, despite the niggles outlined in my review. And have discovered it's much easier to read in bed at night than a book due to the illuminated screen. I reckon this is a 3.5 star item at the mo. Will be a 4 star one when the Newstand and Apps options are wider.

I have been thinking about buying a tablet for ages, and was struggling to decide between a nexus 7 or a samsug tab 2. I never looked at the kindle as I already had one (the one with the keyboard) and didnt think it would be worth owning two.
However, I then got to have a go on one! It is smooth, quick and idiot proof for a technophobe like me. I bought one at the weekend and am so glad i did.
It is really easy to set up, I switched it on and my books were all on there, even the one i am reading right now was set to the right page. Games are fast and clear, I have had to wrestle if from my husband as he loves plying angry birds!
The only downside is that it is not supplied with a charger. Not a massive problem as I have my old kindle charger, but if I didnt I would not have been able to charge it as we do not have a computer.
Have read some reviews about it being impossible to read the kindle fire outdoors. This is not a problem for me. I have used it outside and the screen seemed fine (much better than my samsung phone). I think that it is great, as I can now stay up and read in the dark without disturbing my husband. This was one major drawback of my old kindle, as the small readling lights that you can buy really limit your field of vision.
All in all, a fab device! I have even convinced my sister to buy one!

The Kindle Fire is not an Ipad - but then again it doesn't claim to be, what it is is a very handy little toy, that does what it says on the tin - and seems to do it very nicely. Already having a Kindle 4 (which I love), I wanted something that I could use for cookery and reference kindle books, browse a bit on the sofa without having to go to the PC, and take advantage of the apps and games to keep the kids amused on journeys - and it ticks all the boxes. I would suggest that if you are thinking of buying one, read up about it properly first, read the Kindle forums on Amazon and in other places, and make sure that it is what you are looking for. I put together a checklist of things that I would want to do when it arrived, and have had no problems. I do see people saying that things like Iplayer do not work - they do work, but you need to be sure in your head how to get them to work first - this is best done by reading up about it first.

When it arrived, I turned it on and it was set up and all ready to go within minutes - it found my wifi router, password was installed and off we went. We have since had no problems whatsoever hooking up to other wireless systems and got round the lack of 3G by tethering it to my windowsphone very easily.

First thing I wanted was BBC Iplayer - so found the app in the app store, downloaded and installed it with no problems and opened it up. When you open Iplayer for the first time you are directed to download BBC Mediaplayer - it is very simple to do and from that point on you can watch TV programmes on Iplayer with no problem at all (and no need to worry about lack of Flash). Point: If anyone is debating buying another tablet because of the lack of Flash on the fire, it is worth remembering that Adobe do not issue any licences for Flash any more, so whatever tablet you buy, you are not going to get Flash.

Next I tried the Silk browser and went on to Youtube, again just found a video I wanted to watch and had no problems at all = it just played!

Email (through gmail) was a doddle to set up and install - extremely intuitive.

Music that I already had in Amazon cloud was already there waiting for me to play - and, again, it just worked straightaway with no problems.

I do like the "carousel" and the way that all my previous kindle purchases are there for me to choose with the book covers on display - it really does make you feel as if you are looking at your own private library, more so than the Kindle 4. Although, I have to say, I prefer the e ink on the Kindle 4 to the screen on the Fire for long bouts of reading, although the images in cookery books do look so much better on the Fire. In addition, the normal Kindle is a lot lighter than the Fire, which can be a bit uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time if you are reading a book.

Yes, it will need charging up more than the Kindle 4 - which has spoiled me with its battery life - but it is easy enough to get used to charging it when I am at work. You get a USB cable in the box but no charger - I used the one that came with my Nokia phone with no problems at all.

The app store has enough apps to keep me and my kids happy - in fact my son had got Angry Birds (free) up and running within seconds with no problems at all and is very happy with the app and the way it runs on a Kindle. He has tried a few others and his feedback on those is excellent as well. I would like to say that I had tried them, but I don't seem to be able to prise it out of his hands to play on it myself.

Edit 27th November 2012: Having just returned from a trip abroad, would just like to say that the Kindle Fire also found and connected to other wireless networks with no problem whatsoever - was very fast to connect and browse. I did try and use it read outside in the sunshine but found it very hard with glare - and as I mentioned earlier, the e-ink on the Kindle 4 is much better for straightforward reading.

Edit February 2013: Well, we now have three of these in the family and all of us are extremely happy with them. We have apps for word processing, games, tv streaming and have even mastered the art of printing photos and documents from the Fire to our wireless printer.

It does everything we need it to do, and cannot think of anything that we would need to do, that we cannot do on it.

I bought this item as a present and was very impressed by the portability, functionality and price (�129). A lite and compact e-reader with a colour and touch screen facility that compares with most branded android tablets.

The Kindle is ideal for holidays or travelling and easily stored in your handbag or holdall. I Didn't realise that you could use this for wi-fi web browsing until I had a chance to play with it. The Kindle Fire will download apps, books, photos and music. I couldn't believe the amount of free books available via Amazon and a lending library where users can share purchases. It has organiser/calender/contacts facilities for those who like to use the filofax/diary. Some teething issues with BBC iPlayer app which is currently being developed for the android market - this will soon become available for those who want to watch tv on your Kindle.

The sound quality wasn't too bad and I was able to play music via the Amazon store. There is an earphone jack input alebit headphones will need to be purchased seperately. I've not had chance to assess the sound quality through the headphones yet so cannot comment.

The Kindle Fire only has an 8GB memory but this is reflective in the price. Amazon offer a free 5GB icloud facility so that you can store your purchases and data on-line rather than use all the memory on the device. Alternatively, you can use other external storage devices.

Accessories don't come cheap but I would consider buying a case as I imagine the kindle could be easily scratched or damaged. I bought the Marware branded kindle fire leather CEO Hybrid case which was a great fit and looks smart. This retails around the �40 mark albeit can be purchased cheaper if you shop around. Don't get buying the cheaper un-branded versions that come with a free stylus pen and Screen protector (retail around �10). They look cheap and are poor quality. The Kindle is supplied with a USB lead for charging from a computer which is sometimes impracticle. That's why a mains charger would be useful as a separate purchase. I've seen these on Amazon for as little as �3.50.

The Kindle was quick to set up albeit instructions don't come in a paper booklet format. New starters will need to view the start up fuctions on the Kindle or alernatively view information via the internet. You'll also need to create an Amazon account and input bank/credit card details when registering the device. Unfortunately, you won't be able to download apps, books etc if you don't register - even the free items.

On the whole, a very impressive gadget and is a serious contender for the Xmas market. The Kindle Fire is smaller and lighter than the ipad albeit the ipad mini will be a strong contender when it's launched this month. The thing to consider is that the ipad mini starts at �269 albeit, this is a 16gb device with a slighter larger screen. The Kindle offers real value for money and the price speaks for itself.

My 11 yr old daughter pre-ordered this from her savings, but I got my paws on it first while she was at school, to activate child settings (my excuse). I'm still using my basic kindle, so this took a little getting used to. There is no paper manual enclosed with it, so I had to find the manual online. There was some sort of onscreen tutorial, but it didn't cover everything I wanted to know. I changed the device name via my Amazon account "Manage Your Device" settings.

Luckily I had already purchased a case/screen protector/stylus/charger on ebay (about �70 cheaper than those offered on Amazon at time of pre-order!) - because my stubby fingers found the stylus a much better control option. Just using fingers on the touchscreen proved a little frustrating, because I kept accidentally touching links I didn't want (some of the links were quite small, even when magnified). You do need to purchase a wall charger, because charging from a P.C via the USB lead (which is included in pack) is a very slow process.

No problem with Wi-Fi internet access, in fact one of the first options it came up with, was establishing my wi-fi link. Was also offered quick links to Facebook, and several other popular websites. Shame there's no 3G/4G option for watching movies/web browsing when you're travelling on the train etc. Really think they should be trying to add this to any future versions of the Kindle Fire.

Took me a while to get trial offer Lovefilm subscription streaming up and running, seemed to be some confusion as to whether Silverlight was required/enabled or whether movies would run off a special amazon app, after about 20 minutes of fiddling and tinkering I managed (by trial and error)to get it working. Video streaming and sound quality seemed good to me on the short film I watched. Selection of movies available for instant streaming seems to be rather limited (hardly any Disney or Pixar content for kids there).

Needless to say links to store content work just fine ! Downloaded a couple of freebie games apps, very quickly and easily, and they ran well. Would like to see a larger choice of Apps, Amazon UK doesn't yet offer the full range of Apps that are available on Amazon US. Hopefully the range will expand now the UK Kindle Fire has been released.

Not overly keen on "Carousel" display on opening screen, because it sometimes displays items from cloud that you've archived/removed from device and probably never want to see again. Also if you are a 2 kindle family (with both registered to same account), it will for instance display books from the parent's device, on the child's carousel display even though they are not actually on the child's "bookshelf".

As for the child controls, they seem to work pretty well (apart from the issue mentioned above). As soon as I clicked this option in settings, I was offered the opportunity to set a password that would prevent a child from making one-click-purchases. Further options were given to restrict other types of content access, and all my books (from my own kindle) were immediately moved from her device to the "cloud". Of course this does still mean she could access my books from the cloud, but personally I don't think she'd find anything of interest there (and certainly nothing offensive). Downloaded an illustrated kids book for my daughter, and it looked great, though for a dedicated reader like me, I still prefer e-paper & e-ink.

This is supposed to be the "without special offers" model (ie you pay extra to get rid of the ads), but I believe you have to phone Amazon to actually activate this option (update/amendment to this issue in comments).

All in all, my first impressions are pretty favourable, and I am quite tempted to add a Kindle Fire to my own Xmas wish list, but have a few reservations about limited availability of apps and movies, because you are tied into using Amazon products on this tablet, and I don't think you can use Netflix or Google Play items on it.

Brought 2 one for each of my sons for Xmas . One broke straight away Amazon where fantastic and sent a replacement BUT there isn't a day that goes by when there is a problem with an app or freezing etc and it has to be re-booted . Also I didn't realise how little 8gb is it barely hold any apps , you have to keep deleting from device when you need to download another app and store them in cloud . I think I compare it to much to my ipad mini which is in a different league . So value for money very very good . My sons love them and there hasn't gone a day since Xmas when they haven't picked them up and used them .

Beware reliability and Amazon's response to faulty products. My original Kindle was purchased November 2011. Screen became faulty and after some correspondence Amazon replaced it free of charge on 7 May 2012 with a new machine.

This second machine has now frozen and problem cannot be resolved by re-setting. Amazon tell me today (15 April 2013) that this replacement machine is not within the 12-month warranty, because Amazon's warranty is applicable from the original purchase date. Surely if they supplied me with a new machine in May 2012, this new Kindle must be covered for one year from its supply date? I asked to speak to a Supervisor/Manager; quoted comments and media coverage by both Which and The Times newspaper, but he kept repeating out of warranty as original purchase was Nov 2011. I asked for my case to be reviewed on its merits, to which Amazon's response was - yet again - out of warranty. Even though I offered to send it back to them so they could see what was wrong with my Kindle, they would not permit this. He was not prepared to do anything to assist this customer.

If, 16 months after initial purchase or 11 months after replacement, I do not possess a Kindle that works and is "fit for purpose" - I would recommend prospective purchasers to beware buying a Kindle product.

Firstly let me say I bought this as a Kindle, to read books and nothing else. I have had the original Kindle with the keyboard for a couple of years now and I love it. I have read twice as many books in the last couple of years than I did in the previous two years. So convenient. All that was missing was colour for the photos. The Kindle Fire gives me colour and I would say a clearer page to read. It is heavier. Some have said it is too bright for night time reading. The brightness can be changed, though it is not that easy to find at first. You touch the top on the home screen. The touching to find all this type of thing is not straight forward and I hope will become easier with More practice. Note the charger that comes with it plugs into your pc and takes absolutely ages to charge. However if, like me, you already have the old kindle the old charger works with it. I have the ipad2 so I was not looking for a tablet. However it is a very good tablet for the price. The ipad mini is �100 more than this and the ipad3 is more than twice the price. The screen size for me is too small to do anything but read books and look at photos. It plays music well but it is not an ipod. The picture quality is excellent for photos and very good for films if you are happy with the screen size. The Kindle Fire looks fantastic and I love it for reading, which is why I bought it. It is heavier than my old kindle and I am struggling to find a similar cover to the old kindle. They all seem to want me to stand it up on a table! The Fire has pretensions to be an ipad, it isn't close. But, for the price it is a very good value for money tablet and an excellent colour kindle for reading.

Update 5/11/12. Solved the problem with accessing the menu where brightness etc appears. You have to swipe right from the top of the Kindle NOT from the name bar (where your kindle's name is) at the top of the display. Pull right down from the top and it opens the menu every time!

I bought this on the basis that I didn't want to spend a fortune on a tablet and to use it to watch TV shows, films and use apps. The device itself works very well, a good size and clear graphics and sound. The problem comes with Amazon's absolute control over the product with an insufficient service supporting it. For example, in the US you can buy films and TV shows through the Amazon shop to watch offline. You get an even better deal on these purchases if you have Amazon Prime.

In the UK the only thing that is offered is Lovefilm where you cannot download anything and have to be connected to the internet to view anything. I have a laptop for that. So there goes use number one of my Kindle Fire.

When it comes to apps, you can only purchase those available through the Amazon store. You cannot purchase anything from Google Play or any other available android apps. To say that Amazon's selection of apps is appalling is being generous. It has very, very few available android apps and it is extremely frustrating to not be able to install ones I know exist but that Amazon chooses not to sell. There goes use number two.

Yes, I can read books on it but I could do that with a normal kindle and this is marketed as a multi-media device which it is in theory but not in practice.

All in all, Amazon has brought the Kindle Fire to the UK without the infrastructure behind it to make it the tablet it should/could be and is in the US. They have tried to emulate Apple's model but failed dismally. They should either open up purchasing of Android products from other providers for use on the Fire or get the Amazon store up to scratch to sell a really compelling range of apps and the option to buy or rent films and TV shows as Apple do.