last post of 2011: kindle fire thoughts

Was just reading something about the Kindle Fire, and thought I’d end 2011 with a few thoughts, a couple of months into my Fire experience.

It won’t take long, actually. Here’s the simplest review imaginable:

$199.

Honestly, quit worrying about what it doesn’t do. Quit expecting it to do as many things as the tablets that cost two or three times as much. Yes, it’s a portal to spending money at Amazon. No, it doesn’t have a camera or GPS.

But I use my Fire everyday to read books and magazines, watch movies and television, play games, read email, check Facebook and Twitter, look stuff up on Wikipedia, check the weather, and see how my various sports teams are doing.

For $199.

When the inevitable Kindle Fire 2.0 comes along, with a larger screen and a more open architecture and a higher price tag, I’ll think about upgrading. All that matters for now is that I have a machine that does all of the above-listed items, for $199.

Did I mention it cost $199?

Have a happy New Year!