kindle fire tablet £130 but will it be any good?

[d000hg]

As the new version is only a tenner more if pre-ordered, this is only really worth considering if you need the keyboard (only useful for annotations).

The keyboard is pretty useful when you want to:

• Buy books using your Kindle rather than the PC
• Use the basic web browser (handles gmail well)

I don't think a non-touch, non-keypad version is very good.

[PAH]

The keyboard is pretty useful when you want to:

• Buy books using your Kindle rather than the PC
• Use the basic web browser (handles gmail well)

Ah, didn't think of those as I prefer using other methods for the above.

I don't think a non-touch, non-keypad version is very good.

I thought the new non-keypad version had basic touch capability, to allow an onscreen keyboard?

That maybe more misinterpretation of information due to them merging two very different products into one Kindle announcement.

[eek]

Ah, didn't think of those as I prefer using other methods for the above.

If you don't use the keyboard the new £89 version is usable (although the memory and battery is smaller than the keyboard version).

The UK isn't getting the touch or fire versions for a while.

[TimberWolf]

The UK isn't getting the touch or fire versions for a while.

Order it from Amazon.com?

[PAH]

So they're bringing out more e-ink Kindles and they all look much the same but have one or more of the following:

• WiFi
• 3G
• no 3G
• no touchscreen
• touchscreen
• keyboard
• no keyboard

Yep, that won't be confusing to the masses at all.

[TimberWolf]

So they're bringing out more e-ink Kindles and they all look much the same but have one or more of the following:

• WiFi
• 3G
• no 3G
• no touchscreen
• touchscreen
• keyboard
• no keyboard

Yep, that won't be confusing to the masses at all.

All shown together here:
Kindle Fire - Full Color Kindle with 7" Multi-Touch Display, Wi-Fi

[Lumiere]

Personally I think the Kindle Fire is a bit of disaster if they drop the unique selling point they had with e-ink but we will see.

They hadn't. Most of the e-books had e-ink already. The unique selling point was the price and, partly, the "free international web" option. That's how they snatched the market share from Sony's e-books.

[d000hg]

I thought the new non-keypad version had basic touch capability, to allow an onscreen keyboard?

I read it as non-touch, with just the 5-dir 'joypad' control but no proper keypad...

[OwlHoot]

Amazon apps.

It's a loss leader to get you to buy music, movies (remember Amazon UK own lovefilm) and e-books.

Exactly - You'll be bombarded with ads each time you buy something, or even open it.

Also, I seem to recall Amazon have been known to peremptorily delete content from your reader, in the event of a dispute (although in fairness I may have remembered wrong, and that may have been some other provider).

[PAH]

All shown together here:
Kindle Fire - Full Color Kindle with 7" Multi-Touch Display, Wi-Fi

Easy to hold in one hand

So they're calling their audience s.