I know you guys are pretty tech savvy around here. I am in the market for a new tablet since the wife has claimed my ipad 2. I mostly just want to surf the web and read an occasional ebook, maybe watch a lil youtube. Kindle fire HD 8.9" refurbished is $199 on amazon. Is this a good deal? Thanks!
which one? There seems to be so many nexus 7's. Also how is it better? Kindle fire hd has higher res display and seems to have longer battery life. Thanks for the reply.
Nexus 7 is pure Android to the bone which means a speedy device with updates straight from Google. The Kindle Fire runs Android with Amazon's FireOS skin on top of it which adds another layer of software and junk and you're pretty much tied to Amazon's app store (AKA, their Ecosystem) instead of the official Play Store from Google. On a 7" screen, 1920x1200 is pretty sharp, not to mention the Nexus 7 has a very vibrant screen as well. You can get a refurb Nexus 7 FHD for around $150 refurbished on eBay or elsewhere. However, I suggest you go to Office Depot or Best Buy and try out these tablets hands-on. That's the only way you know which tablet suits you better.
N7's narrow screen size sucks for reading books. He's better off getting a Kindle because it has Amazon's ecosystem built-in. It can do everything he needs, ebooks, browse web, youtube. I don't consider a 7 inch a tablet anymore, not with all the big 5 inch phones that are out.
Nexus 7 (from Google) is great tablet for reading and watching videos. If your eyesight is good, reading on the tablet isn't difficult. If you are nearsighted, check out the tablet at a store first. I say this because I've played around with settings to make the text bigger, it works on some sites, but not well. I wouldn't subject my parents to this. If you get chromecast, you can stream YouTube/NetFlix/NBA GameTime to TV with an HDMI input. You can also stream from chrome browser (for now, only from a desktop which requires it to be on) to your TV. It means you can stream Rockets games from crappy stream sites on your TV when there's a blackout. Google is working on enabling mirroring Nexus 7 screen to chromecast, but it doesn't work currently. If you have a media server on your network, there are apps you can use to connect to your server and play video files on your tablet. If you get Google's remote desktop app and have a Google account, you can also control your desktop from your nexus tablet. I wouldn't recommend getting the Fire HD unless you've invested heavily in Amazon or just like them. Even if you bought a few apps/books on Amazon, you can also install the Amazon appstore and get their apps running on a regular nexus 7 tablet and Amazon Kindle app so you can read the e-books you've bought. The opposite isn't true of Fire HD. You can't install apps from the regular Google play store; you have to wait for the Amazon version. I have Amazon prime, which gives a free app (their choice) daily. I go there almost daily to get an app for free. Most of the time I don't even install it. Sometimes I'll find good "educational" games/apps for my 2 year old nephew. I've read that if you buy the Fire and subscribe to Amazon Prime, there's a monthly free checkout of books but I'm not familiar with it. Maybe someone with experience can talk about it. Hope that helps.
Nexus 8 should be coming out later this year. I'm thinking of picking up the galaxy tab s 8.4 inch. Not a fan of apple and would prefer a Google edition tablet but I don't feel like waiting until the end of the year to buy a tablet.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9" = 1920x1200 Nexus 7 FHD 7" = 1920x1200 They are the EXACT resolution and aspect ratio. The Nexus 7 looks narrower is because of it's smaller bezels when viewing in portrait compared to the Kindle Fire which has thick bezels all around.
I own a Nexus 7. One of its primary purposes is for bible and book reading. It is just about perfect for this purpose -- perfect size for easy portability, absolutely sharp and bright/easy-to-read HD display, right form factor, zippy CPU (never ever lags), awesome battery life, etc. The only downside to it is that the speakers are pretty average/not very powerful. Verdict -- one of the better tech investments I've made in my life. It consistently punches above its weight in $$$.
get a Nexus 7 tablet with a bigger HD space. I use mine to download movie and tv show torrents. I either watch them on the tablet itself or use an app when i get home to stream the video files to my smart TV using wifi. but lately its getting buggy by downloading p*rn torrents and playing on the screen by itself and i find myself accidentally watching.
I just purchased a Nexus 7 (2013 model) to replace (perhaps supplement) an HP TouchPad I have had for a few years (bought for $99 during the original firesale and have been retooling ever since... just upgraded the OS to Android 4.4.4 and removed WebOS altogether). Bought it for $189.99 from Best Buy (got them to pricematch Walmart). Great tablet... for the money, or for any amount. Small (the TP has the larger screen, but is way thicker and heavier too). Great size for a reader (I also have a Kindle that will soon retire due to the N7) since you can easily hold in your hand and even fit in your pocket. Bright sharp display. I bought the 16GB version but you can easily add storage (OTG 32Gb memory for less than $20). Since its Nexus you get fast access to the latest Androids (eg you can even install Android L... so new its hasn't been codenamed yet) and it doesn't have the bloat that other manufacturers add on. I will keep the HP TouchPad to play around with and use for couch surfing, but the Nexus 7 does everything I need in such an attractive formfactor and at a affordable price that its a no-brainer. You really have to look at the laptop-replacement tablets (like new Windows tablets) to get anything better.
Have you considered a Bluetooth speaker? I find the Nexus speakers to be pretty good for a 7" tablet, but I also have a Monster Clarity HD portable speaker that I use for music and movies.
I have a Nexus 7 and it's okay, but I use a lot of PDFs at work and it just isn't up to the task. I'm waiting on the Nexus 8, hoping that it is 4:3 ratio instead of 16:9. An 8-9 inch 4:3 ratio hi-res Google Play tablet that has LTE is pretty much my dream tablet.