Kindle Fire mini-review...

I got my Kindle Fire in the mail yesterday so I haven't had that long to play with it. I thought I'd just post my initial impressions. But first, a point of two.

I've read some reviews and I've come to a conclusion that, as with many things, what you *think* it will be determines if you like it or not. If you think it is a tablet, you might be disappointed. If you think, as the name implies, it is a "Kindle" with extra features, you will like it.

The first thing I noticed about it was that it was heavy. Not heavy like a ton of bricks, just that it was about the weight of an iPad but smaller. Maybe I was thinking it would weigh closer to the Kindle (very light). I got used to it quickly and actually appreciated that it wasn't as light as a Kindle. I have a hard time sometimes with the Kindle, when it is out of it's carrier, because it is so light.

I don't like where they put the on/off button (on the bottom). I've actually pushed it off once or twice by placing it on my lap.

I like the ebook reader portion. Not much to say. It is an ebook reader. Different screen than the Kindle but still readable. A bit bigger than the kindle but smaller than the iPad. Fine with me because I thought the iPad was too big to read on comfortably. The Kindle Fire is about the size and weight of a paperback (little taller) so it feels more like reading a book. I prefer the swipe to turn the page (like iPad) rather than the Kindle push so this was an improvement to me.

I didn't have any problems surfing the web. I know Instapundit said it was slower, but I didn't notice that.

I haven't watched a movie on it yet, will try that later.

As for the apps. I'm not so upset as some that the app store has less than iTunes app store. Fact is, I only use the same 4-5 apps anyway. I think people like having millions of apps available or downloading hundreds, but I don't need that. All the apps I wanted/needed were on there. Tumblr, WWF, Mint, Weather, some other social media and a few games. I don't need a million things and I don't plan on using the Kindle Fire to do any word processing, spreadsheet or database work. I don't do that on my iPad now.

The Kindle Fire is an inexpensive media device, not a computer or tablet. If you want to read books, surf the web, social media, watch video and listen to tunes, it is a great product. Nice size (smaller than the iPad) and good price. I like the smaller size because I can wrap my hands around it, unlike an iPad, and type with both hands. I like the onscreen keyboard better too.

Quick version: It does everything I want it to do and nothing more. In the world of bloated software and huge portions in restaurants, I'm more than fine with a product that does what I want without unnecessary features, apps or storage.