Underwhelmed

Does anyone have a Kindle Fire HD and like it? Please tell me why.

I just got one yesterday to replace the one I lost on a recent trip. The one I lost was the original version. It didn't do anything but read. It had very few buttons and the ones that were there were simply for navigation. They were easy to locate and use. You could enter text but the device wasn't designed to be used for that. All it did was provide delivery of digital reading content. That's it. It was lightweight, fit in my pocket, and could be read anywhere one could read a paper book. And, with another internet device, I could go to the library in my bathrobe.

I'm less than 24 hours into my experience with the new Fire and I want to send it back.

Out of the box, the Fire was heavy and I couldn't find the ON button. Once on, and an internet connection was made, I was presented with my home screen which was a carousel of books I've already purchased or am currently reading. (Currently, I'm reading Life of Pi quite comfortably on my phone.)

Presumably, no one gets a Fire without wanting video content so I spent very little time with the books that were on my new device and sought out video. I connected to Amazon.com and found $79 worth of nothing. With my Fire, I also purchased Amazon Prime which allows me to watch thousands of videos for free with my $79 subscription. Now, it's possible they have something I want to watch but it wasn't readily apparent.

Hulu's TV content is at least more current but to watch it on a mobile device you have to subscribe to Hulu Plus for $8/month. While I've watched Hulu on my laptop before, I wouldn't pay for the upgrade to watch it on a mobile device. Not when I'm paying such a fortune to my cable provider. If I cut that cord, then I would think about it.

Instead of watching a movie on my Kindle last night, I went to the local RedBox instead. For about a dollar.

I've been drooling for a tablet but to be honest I'm not sure why. Whatever the reason, I don't think the Fire is what I'm looking for. My phone is an Android device and my kool aid of choice is Google. While I'm sure the Fire will allow me to log onto my Google Drive, it doesn't provide any more convenience than my phone. For example, I don't think I would use the Fire for my grocery list. An Android tablet device would presumably give me an experience that is a blend between my phone and my laptop, just a sexy toy that hopefully combines the versatility of my computer with the mobility of my phone. With that expectation, the Fire just doesn't cut it.

Prime also gets me free shipping from Amazon which guarantees that I will buy absolutely everything in the future from Amazon, speaking of kool aid. But for my money, I'd rather have a new espresso machine.

I've been good, Santa. Must I wait another six months?

You know what this machine does? Exactly what I want it to do. It freaking brews espresso. And I really want a new espresso maker for our Portland-area apartment. The one I have may meet with the same end as my Kindle Fire.

See? If the Kindle Fire could make a good cup of coffee we'd be having an entirely different conversation here. 

Or, find my socks. It's laundry day.