Kindle Fire HD 8.9" $269 - Amazon

Quote from lurewars : I won't buy this for the same reason I'd never consider an ipad. I'm probably old school for caring about this, but to me the lack of a micro SD card slot is unforgivable. I don't always go places that have free Wi-Fi. I'm not paying the extra for a 4G one, and I wouldn't pay for the service anyway. I love loading my $15 32GB micro SD full of Movies, Shows, music and other media. What a cheap corner to cut.

I was so looking foward to the nexus7 until I found out no sd/microsd slot. I don't know why companies don't use them, I won't buy any tablet without an expansion slot UNLESS it comes with a 50GB or more cloud storage...

Quote from sd444 : Both. AMD's Temash tablets also coming. Quadcore x86 with ridiculous gaming.

I LOLed at the thought of someone considering tablet games to be "ridiculous gaming".

Quote from WingsOfF : It is the closest to the iPad in everything pre-configured, pre-populated media consumption device but without the premium price for regular consumers. Combined with very easy to get going with free media access for Prime members, it gives people a lot of reasons to use a tablet, not just do web browsing and mail without configuring anything as may be required with other tablets. This is what is needed in the mass adoption maket. Nook comes second and Samsung a distant third with not as much media choices unless you work at it. Techy geeks will never understand this. It has decent specs and better in some aspects (e.g., dual band wifi radio) and the mass market does not care for hair-splitting specs that geeks spout for bragging rights. Linux is very open and configurable but not right for mass adoption. As a developer, Kindle is a better platform than Samsung or Google tablets because penetration is much higher than either of those, easier to monetize with less worries of piracy as more people already have purchase accounts with Amazon than with Google and the apps are encrypted by Amazon unlike in Google play and are pirated almost immediately. A better device in specs is not necessarily the best devic for a consumer market, not that the HD is lagging in any serious ways except in geek circles.

I'll only disagree that this does not have as good a pentration potential as google. The fact you could EVER sell someone on the nook platform as better (monetization or otherwise), looks like a very very short thought under very poor assumptions.

Windows is also easier to hack then macintosh (or more commonly done).......which is the mass adaopted OS.............
I think the penetration android OS has in the phone market gives reason to why the majority of handheld sets sold today (whether tablet or phone) are android based with google play. Nook...........you are looking at Barnes and Noble.........A company in which many investors will tell you their days are numbered (closing many stores). I think the nook project is only one that will fail to the kindle. And the kindle plaform is only one that will be laughed off in the android/ios era of handsets. While Kindle may have a uniform platform, its simply locked down (even a non geek sees this). Many android phone users.............dare we count them, will notice this as a result of buying the tablet, yes even joe shmo. Many kindle fire sales are the low end models I bet, one that people reading books that want bightness will buy up and spend money on books n such. Google wont make the return/tablet in app sales that kindle will, but I don't think the kindle fire is the reason. The marketplace earnings of amazon are that of books books books. The original kindle fires were sold at a loss or very very little gain, I'm sure there's articles from 2011 telling you that.

Kindle may have a premium tablet, but its pointless. If you break down their marketplace sales, I bet so many are books they would have been fine not making a premium tablet since you have a kindle app in both the appstore and google play.

So while an ipad may pair well with people that have money into an iphone or itunes/ipod etc, I don't think many people will have built huge amazon music/video/app libraries through the amazon marketplace that will keep them buying kindles. I think book sales and some media streamed video via xbox live or networked blu ray players is the best amazon can hope for. Not a tablet dirivng their marketplace...............Give it time to watch these premium features in the fire series to go away, because amazon simply wont see the sales they forecast trying to compete with the yuppiness of an ipad. They should stick to being bested by a 7" nexus.

Had google made the nexus 7 $200 with 16gb at launch, and the 16gb 10" model $300 at launch, I think we'd all be singing the song earlier. The fire wont be able to keep up, but it will be around for awhile in the 7" segment with some decent sales. I love amazon.com with all my heart (even after I started paying sales tax for merch) but even I saw the premium 9-10" segment for amazon as pointless. Its definately more mainstream then say a marketplace by lenovo on lenovo tablets (when users will use google play), but it will suffer the same fate as that lenovo marketplace.

Quote from Behave : I hereby ban the word, "ridiculous".

Aww, thats ridiculous.

Quote from woomer051 : I'll only disagree that this does not have as good a pentration potential as google, I think Kindle doesn't. The fact you could EVER sell someone on the nook platform as better, looks like a very very shortthought and very poor assumptions. Windows is also easier to hack then macintosh.......which is the mass adaopted OS............. I think the penetration android OS has in the phone market gives reason to why the majority or handheld sets sold today (whether tablet or phone) are android based. Nook...........you are looking at Barnes and Noble.........A company in which many investors will tell you their days are numbered (closing many stores). I think the nook project is only one that will fail to the kindle. And the kindle plaform is only one that will be laughed off in the android/ios era of handsets. While Kindle may have a uniform platform, its simply locked down (even a non geek sees this). Many android phone users.............dare we count them, will notice this as a result of buying the tablet, yes even joe shmo. Many kindle fire sales are the low end models I bet, one that people reading books that want bightness will buy up and spend money on books n such. Google wont make the return/tablet in app sales that kindle will, but I don't think the kindle fire is the reason. The marketplace earning of amazon are that of books books books. The original kindle fires were sold at a loss or very very little gain, I'm sure there's articles from 2011 telling you that. Apple will take second place to the platform that once again is able to be run across other companies hardware (lenovo, toshiba, acer, asus). Does this seem any different than the 10% vs 90% mac windows world we live in? Kindle may have a premium tablet, but its pointless. If you break down their marketplace sales, I bet so many are books there would been fine not making a tablet since you have a kindle app in both the appstore and google play. So while an ipad may pair well with people that have money into an iphone or itunes/ipod etc, I don't think many people will have built huge amazon music/video/app libraries through the amazon marketplace that will keep them buying kindles. I think book sales and some media streamed video via xbox live or networked blu ray players is the best amazon can hope for. Not a tablet dirivng their marketplace...............

dude, you lost me at "penetration"

Quote from Cracktower : I was so looking foward to the nexus7 until I found out no sd/microsd slot. I don't know why companies don't use them, I won't buy any tablet without an expansion slot UNLESS it comes with a 50GB or more cloud storage...

Why thats an easy question. So they can suck more money out of you for buying a 16gb or 32gb model for $50-100 more, while the flash only costs $10. So they can sell you cloud services. And so you'll buy a new tablet/phone/whatever every year or two since you can't upgrade the storage for $10-20.

I simply won't buy a tablet or phone without a microsd slot, if an alternative is available.

This tablet is fine for amazon-aholics. Its sluggish and inconsistent in performance compared to similar platforms. I'd also look pretty hard at what you can actually do with this for alternative roms, because when I looked into it a month ago the efforts were pretty fledgling.

Quote from maddoggyusa : EXACTLY!!! the ads is the biggest joke of all... could you imagine if Windows offered Windows 8 with ads for $30 and without ads for $100... people would be in an uproar. don't give me the "you can root it" response... that's pretty lame way to circumvent for most people

You do realize you only see the ad when you turn it on, right? and you also realize that the ads are the reason you get these for < 200$ right?

Most importantly, since I got my fire in Nov. I have gotten at least 30$ in free apps, movies, mp3's and Amazon giftcards due to the offers (ads)

So I will gladly keep the ads and you can have your ad-free tablet!

Quote from Cracktower : I agree, there are apps to do the same thing the fire does on most tablets that are bigger and better in the same price range... Still lovin' my 10.1" Thrive (which is running around $199 now)... No SD slot either...

+1 for the Thrive!
still loving my thrive as well. Things I want on my next tablet:
full sized SD card slot, so I can grab SD card from camera and insert into Tablet
full sized HDMI, so I don't have to carry spare cables around
full sized USB port, so I plug flash drives directly into tablet
replaceable battery, for obvious reasons
inductive charging

otherwise, I can live with mediocre processor, mediocre screen, even an OS that isn't cutting edge

if only I could combine my Touchpad and Thrive, it would be perfect!

Quote from johnnyblades : +1 for the Thrive! still loving my thrive as well. Things I want on my next tablet: full sized SD card slot, so I can grab SD card from camera and insert into Tablet full sized HDMI, so I don't have to carry spare cables around full sized USB port, so I plug flash drives directly into tablet replaceable battery, for obvious reasons inductive charging otherwise, I can live with mediocre processor, mediocre screen, even an OS that isn't cutting edge if only I could combine my Touchpad and Thrive, it would be perfect!

The thing is a beast, it's passed around all day between my children and they love the thing. Takes abuse too, dropped a lot, cracked bezel near sd slot without losing a beat. Make sure you get the charging kit ben outlet has been selling. i got one with an extra battery/charging cable/chrarging cradle/2 screen protectors/portfolio case and a color back for $20!!
The battery alone is $29 although the ones they have now don't have the battery. Still well worth the price if you don't have it already. Now it's $10...
http://www.bensoutlet.com/product...e-bundle-5

Quote from tadrian : Great deal. Wish it'd apply to the regular Fire HD ad not the 8.9".

I have a 7 inch that is in new condition that I no longer want. PM me if you are interested..

I have an amazon kindle fire. It is junk. They have made a business decision to not provide an additional pop up warning you ( and making you provide a password) for purchases. What does this mean? You will absolutely be purchasing things that were unintentional. I can't stand it. I defiantly don't let my kids have it, because they are just one click away from any purchase. They will tell you that they have parental controls and other ways to keep this from happening, but I will tell you, they are all bull--t. All they have to do is follow the standard model of asking, and requiring a password for purchases. I guess they think they are smarter than us. I will never buy another kindle, regardless of price.

Quote from Dwolram : I have an amazon kindle fire. It is junk. They have made a business decision to not provide an additional pop up warning you ( and making you provide a password) for purchases. What does this mean? You will absolutely be purchasing things that were unintentional. I can't stand it. I defiantly don't let my kids have it, because they are just one click away from any purchase. They will tell you that they have parental controls and other ways to keep this from happening, but I will tell you, they are all bull--t. All they have to do is follow the standard model of asking, and requiring a password for purchases. I guess they think they are smarter than us. I will never buy another kindle, regardless of price.

I think 1 click purchasing on Kindle Fire is mess up!
last time my boy bought a whole set of Train movies for $120+, the next day, I call them and got money refund. After that, I saved low balance rebate card on it, no problem since then.

Quote from johnnyblades : full sized SD card slot, so I can grab SD card from camera and insert into Tablet

Not many tabs have a full sized sd card slot, but there's an easier fix for your problem...buy a microsd memory card that comes with a full size sd card adapter. Many do. Put the microsd in the full size sd card adapter, stick it in your camera. When you want to transfer to the tablet, remove the microsd from the adapter in the camera, stick it in the microsd in the tablet. Store the full size adapter inside the camera so you don't have anything extra to carry.

Can this be hack so you just dont have to see Amazon stuff?

I would not buy this.