Anyone else excited about a Kindle Fire?

iPad killer? Probably not.

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Originally Posted by KFlint

I heard on TV that it costs about 199$ (or was it 201$, not sure) to produce and distribute one unit.

I'm just not sure how people can read for several hours on an lcd screen. I prefer the previous ink screen for that purpose which is way smoother, almost like looking at a real page.

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Yeah, they're taking a hit on each unit, somewhere around $5.

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Originally Posted by megabyteme

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Originally Posted by Cabalo

To reduce production costs?

By the way, the device has already been rooted and it is now possible to easily install applications via the Android Market.
It won't take long until cooked roms will show up.

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The fact that they can sell something like this for $200 is amazing. I wonder how much Amazon is actually spending on each unit. I know the PS3 was considerably more thanits initial street price, does anyone know how much Amazon is taking on the chin to expand into this market? Certainly, it wouldn't take too many books at $15 each for them to recoup their costs, but if the device has already (It's been what, a week?) been broken, this will make it more difficult for them to justify these costs.

I'm all for people doing what they want with devices that they have purchased (Amazon set the price, not the consumer), but Amazon is offering a lot for very little. I wonder if this will be a success for them, or not. I just hope I can get 1-2 before things change significantly. :P

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The Kindle Fire seems to be content centric, i.e. alot of the sale appeal is based on the content, but unless you are in the U.S. (or use a VPN to access services with this device) then alot of functionality is disabled. The Premium account, Hulu and Netflix a/c's will only work with a U.S. IP address.
I actually compared the Kindle to the Dell Streak 7, and although more expensive the Streak offers more base functionality in a small form factor tablet. The updated ROM to Honeycomb 3.2 has been released for the Streak a month ago. It has a dual core processor, 16GB of storage plus upto 32GB of external storage via SDHC slot, Wifi N, 5mp camera + 1.3mp camera, GPS and bluetooth, so I've decided to join the coffee slurping poser set and bought one. Will let you know what I think when it arrives. :blink:

The fact that they are breaking even (or within a few $) makes for a safe bet on both sides. Sony was initially out ~$250 (beyond retail pricing) for each PS3 sold. That was a FAR riskier venture that involved making stripped down units, and lying to consumers- I'll personally hate them as a company for a long, long, long time over that one.


I am still waiting for the new year before I will get a Kindle Fire. I am interested to hear your thoughts on the Dell, Art. I think some of my interest in these devices may have a bit to do with my lack of a smart phone, as well. We aren't excited with the cost of a data plan in addition to our cell bill, but some of the overlapping features between a smart phone, and the Fire do have their appeal.

My sister bought one this past w/e. She likes it and has mostly good things to say about it.

I dropped a little hint about one to the gf and she's put her foot down, refusing to use an e-reader. There goes my xmas idea. :dabs:

Does your sister ever talk to your girlfriend? Might she quietly slip in a few good words? Might your girlfriend listen?