Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2, guest post by Cecilia Aviles

I've been wanting to buy some sort of electronic device for my mom to check her e-mail, pay bills online, browse the 'net, read e-books, etc. A few years ago, this would have been an easy choice, being that my only options were either a PC or laptop. Nowadays, there's all kinds of devices available that will do all that and more. Between smart phones, Android tables, iPods, iPads, Nooks and God knows what else, it's hard to find a place to start. After some research, I've narrowed down my choices to the Kindle Fire and iPad. I've read a few reviews online, some too technical others too general. Nothing persuaded me either way, except for the price tag, so I decided to ask one of my best friends to tell me a little bit about her experience as a proud and loving owner of these two devices. She's someone I trust, whose opinion I value and someone who I know would ever hate to part with either one. I wanted to know why, though. Is it possible to like one better than the other? Want to know what she said? Well, read on...

Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2, a guest Post by Cecilia Aviles:
Every night I end up snuggled up in bed with my Kindle Fire, up to the minute I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. I am a reader.  Therefore the Kindle is absolutely awesome for me. I love the size, which feels like the size of a book. I love that I can dim the brightness AND even change the page color to black with white letters to help me read in the dark. I have tried reading my Kindle out in the pool and YES I was able to read the pages. The iPad has these features too, but for reading, the Kindle wins over the iPad.  
The Kindle Fire is much more than just a reading device though, with wi-fi access to the web and the Amazon store of books and apps it beats an old fashioned book any day.  I love that I can log in to Netflix and watch movies or Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest or…well I think you get the point. 
But then, why do I even fight my boys for the iPad? Well, because it’s bigger! Watching movies on the iPad is a much better experience. The number of available apps for the Kindle Fire is a very small fraction of the thousands offered for the iPad. I love the iPad’s ease of use, from the easy volume control (the Kindle doesn’t have a volume button, but it’s not like my books need it, right?) to the ease of switching between apps. Also, the iPad has a camera and mic which is useful for talking a la Judy Jetson via screen to screen apps like Skype and FaceTime.
Charging the devices
I know, I know, have you seen the charging stations popping up everywhere, airports, meeting halls, even Disneyland?! Well, I have to say that my two lovely devices have really surprised me. I can read my Kindle for four or five nights before I have to charge it. I can watch about four hours of video on a full charge before I see the battery bar turning yellow on me. As for the iPad, it will survive about 3 or 4 weeknights without needing charge.  Saturday and Sunday is a different ordeal all together. I hear, “where’s the iPad charger?” about three times over the weekend. Oh, and car chargers don’t work for the iPad, but they do for the Kindle.  
Now I will mention what I don’t like…
Both devices don’t play all video types. I have noticed the iPad doesn’t play Adobe Flash videos, but the Kindle has a wider variety of videos from the internet that will not play.
Portability
 If you know you'll be limiting the transport of these devices then the iPad rocks, but if you want to take your device with you, then its the Kindle. The rule in our house is to carry the iPad closed and only open the cover once you are seated. I don't want to imagine the day the iPad is dropped...eek!  The low-cost of the Kindle just makes carrying it around that much less stressful.
Bottom line is what do you want out of your device? If your main concern is reading on a convenient light-weight device, with a few apps and web access, then Kindle Fire is the choice. But if you want to play and watch movies on a high resolution screen (the large screen is great for watching YouTube instruction videos in the kitchen as I cook) or use apps that can do just about anything  then the iPad is for you!  

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I'd like to thank Cecilia once again for sharing her experience with both devices, and hope that this post helped you determine which one fits your lifestyle best.
 
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4 comments :

Unknown said...

Interesting post and thank you for sharing. Several things in here I have not thought about before, I want to use this moment to say that I really like this blog. It has been a great resource of information for me especially because I am also into iPhones and iPads. Thank you so much! =)

Unknown said...

Glad to have come across this blog. I have stumbled over here from a different web page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see. Your posts very are clear, precise and easy to follow so now I’m following you. I’m going to review more of your blog. Look forward to going over your web page for a second time. Thank you for this very informative and helpful post.

Ms. Dio said...

Hi Melanie! Thank you for visiting, following and for your kind words! I've been on vacation, but glad to be back and with lots of new things to share. Hope you continue to enjoy my blog! Kindly, Dio

Unknown said...

Sorry if I have kinda flooded it with comments. I never meant to "spam" or anything... I really like your blog. :) Since I, too am get confused on which of these two should I prefer since they almost have the same features or has advantages over the other. Really am thankful for sharing this very interesting topic. =)