Kindle Fire

[rlkubi]

Has anyone taken it on a cruise? How did you like it? I have a K3 and just got a Fire. Just trying to figure out which one to take on our cruise in September.

[jonathansburden]

Bring the Fire! I've had mine for a few months and I'd be lost without it :)

[5waldos]

I am going to take both- like the ads show- if life gets boring for the kids on shore they can watch a movie while I read. And the poor guy with the iPad will only have his one :rolleyes: I like reading in the Kindle but there are a couple of things I might want to do on the fire.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I will be taking one this Sunday. :D

[bmckim]

We are debating which ones to get. I really like the Fire for the ability to watch movies and everything else, but am really thinking about the 3G model because we can get books anywhere.

 

Also it is my understanding that it will work on the ship for free, so I can get the newspaper on the ship for only the newspaper subscription price.

 

As someone who is connected to my phone and computer at all times, I really want to try a week without turning my phone or computer on. (Except maybe the day in San Juan because it will be free)

[kim826]

It's hard to read a book on the Fire if you are at the beach.

[5waldos]

You can get the same books on the Fire. In fact, all my books are available on both.

 

And you can read onboard but I don't think that you can access anything onboard- you'd still have to go through the ship and it would cost. That is my understanding anyway- I would love to be proved wrong.

[rlkubi]

I don't think you can download anything for free on the ships.

[ZsuZsu]

I have both a Kindle Fire and an "e-ink" Kindle (K2I with 3G)- I tend to travel with both, but for different uses. I enjoyed watching a movie on the plane with my Fire and playing mah-jong occasionally in my cabin- but for my daily reading, I MUCH prefer the e-ink Kindle! The Fire stayed in the cabin, but the K2I went up on deck with me and to the beach with me on excursion days. The e-ink is MUCH better for reading in sunshine, and the battery lasts a really really long time. (I read 4 books on my last cruise- it was heaven!)

It is VERY unlikely that you will be able to access the 3G at sea- I would suggest loading up the Kindle with a ton of reading material before cruising. You MIGHT be able to access the 3G in some ports (I had access in St. Thomas, but not in St. Maarten for example), but I wouldn't count on it.

I did not bother with the ship's wi-fi for my Fire to check e-mail or anything- I actually enjoyed being disconnected from everything for our week!

[Lydia B.]

On my recent cruise, I had the regular e-ink Kindle and my friend had the new fire. She could read in direct light/sun, but not as easily as I did. However she had a pair of sunglasses that were very dark and you could not see a thing on the Fire. We traded sunglasses until she bought an inexpensive pair on the boat. Once the sun set, she had the backlight for reading and I had to turn on my light in the cover. We both had a great time and it was fun to see how many passgengers had some sort of ereader. Only draw back was when folks were holding traditional books you saw what they were reading and sometimes it was fun to strike up a conversation about the book that you might have both been reading! Lydia of Ohio

[Kanebaby]

We are debating which ones to get. I really like the Fire for the ability to watch movies and everything else, but am really thinking about the 3G model because we can get books anywhere.

 

Also it is my understanding that it will work on the ship for free, so I can get the newspaper on the ship for only the newspaper subscription price.

 

As someone who is connected to my phone and computer at all times, I really want to try a week without turning my phone or computer on. (Except maybe the day in San Juan because it will be free)

 

Where did you hear you will get it for free on the ship? I don't think wi-fi is free on any ship.

[GenericUserID]

I don't know for sure, but my mother told me that her Kindle Fire doesn't download videos/movies directly to the device. She said it works on Flash memory and downloads it as you are watching it. But it isn't "stored" on the device itself. She said she can store a couple of movies, but not that much. She needs a wi-fi connection to really "do" anything other than read.

This obviously doesn't apply to books. She can store lots of books on the Fire.

She also says it is hard to read in the sunshine, but she purchased an anti-glare screen protector that has helped some.

Please, someone clarify if I am incorrect.

[bmckim]

Where did you hear you will get it for free on the ship? I don't think wi-fi is free on any ship.

 

No it won't be. I meant through the 3g in the kindle (non-fire). It is free anywhere where you can get signal, and it runs on AT&T. I would assume if you can get AT&T on the ship, you can download stuff on the kindle.

[Potstech]

Yes you can download things on the ship if you have 3G. Now then the price for doing so will be very astronomical. It will be at a per minute rate of anywhere from 1.69 a minute up to 4.00 a minute. Is it worth it to watch a 2 hour movie at that rate? Just because you have 3G and unlimited data in the states does not mean your carrier is what you are using while on board.

 

Just make sure you know the limitations of the device as well as its advantages before you go out on a cruise with it. By the way a Kindle Fire DOES NOT come with 3G capabilities at all at the current time.

 

I took my Kindle Fire on a cruise recently with many books downloaded on it and enjoyed it very much. It IS hard to read in direct sunlight but I was always able to find a shady spot to read in. I am one of those people who sunburn easily.

[Kanebaby]

No it won't be. I meant through the 3g in the kindle (non-fire). It is free anywhere where you can get signal, and it runs on AT&T. I would assume if you can get AT&T on the ship, you can download stuff on the kindle.

 

Well, i have 3g thru AT&T on my Ipad but i don't think i will be able to get it once the ship leaves port. From my understanding i won't be able to get in any foreign countries unless i find Wi-Fi somewhere. Just what i've heard.

[westview1]

I don't know for sure, but my mother told me that her Kindle Fire doesn't download videos/movies directly to the device. She said it works on Flash memory and downloads it as you are watching it. But it isn't "stored" on the device itself. She said she can store a couple of movies, but not that much. She needs a wi-fi connection to really "do" anything other than read.

This obviously doesn't apply to books. She can store lots of books on the Fire.

She also says it is hard to read in the sunshine, but she purchased an anti-glare screen protector that has helped some.

Please, someone clarify if I am incorrect.

 

I use my Fire mainly to read, but with 2 long airplane trips coming up, I will probably load a few movies on there as well.

 

You can download movies directly to the Kindle Fire, but if you are renting the video through Amazon or another service like Netflix, the movie is streamed and will need a WiFi connection. If you buy the video you download it to your device. If you look at the video library tab on the Fire it will say Cloud | Device by choosing either one, you can see what is stored on the cloud and what is stored on your device.

 

The Fire has an internal storage capability of 8 GB which would be about 7 - 8 movies depending on the quality of the video. But any music and books you have stored on the Fire will use some the the 8 GB as well. Movies will take up more space than music or books.

[rlkubi]

Are you talking about buying through Amazon? Can you load movies you have on DVD to the Fire?

[finsupcruiser]

Kindle Fire is all I take on cruise ships now. My I pad is too heavy. You can not download free on the ship without using their WIFI.

 

I download books movies etc before I go and read or watch on plane or ship.

 

Only problem I have with Kindle is time limit to watch a movie--it is much shorter than I tunes once you begin watching movie better to watch in one viewing or it is gone.

[jonathansburden]

Are you talking about buying through Amazon? Can you load movies you have on DVD to the Fire?

 

I've seen some software that claims it can but I haven't tried it yet... I'm a little leery about unknown software on my computer.

[bmckim]

Well, i have 3g thru AT&T on my Ipad but i don't think i will be able to get it once the ship leaves port. From my understanding i won't be able to get in any foreign countries unless i find Wi-Fi somewhere. Just what i've heard.

 

The kindle 3G i believe has foreign access. And it is free (included) you don't have to pay for service or data.

 

From Amazon:

Kindle Touch 3G is the easiest option because there is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase, and read right out of the box. Built-in free 3G connectivity uses the same wireless signals that cell phones use, but there are no monthly fees or commitments — Amazon pays for Kindle Touch's 3G wireless connectivity. The added convenience of 3G enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go—without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection.

[rlkubi]

It isn't free in the middle of the ocean though.

[westview1]

Are you talking about buying through Amazon? Can you load movies you have on DVD to the Fire?

 

You can buy them through Amazon.

 

I've seen some software that claims it can but I haven't tried it yet... I'm a little leery about unknown software on my computer.

 

You can find good software that will make the transfer for you, and it will make sure it is in the correct format. I would look on CNET (cnet.com) or similar web sites for recommendations. I have been using them for years (I work in IT) and they can guide you through the good, the bad and the ugly. There are free software packages out there; but the free kind can be bare bones and depending on your experience level hard to use.

 

I bought the usb transfer cable on e-bay (it was $1.95) for the purpose of copying a dvd that I own to my computer and then transferring it to the Fire. I haven't tried it yet. I'm also not sure of what kind of copyright laws I could be breaking if I do this. I have paid for the movie so I'm not sure if that's a grey area or not. Anyway, the usb transfer cable doesn't come with the Fire and I couldn't find it anywhere until I looked on e-bay. I have been successful in transferring books from the Kindle app on my computer to my Fire this way - you can drag and drop from the computer to the Fire. I know you can do it through Amazon but this is simpler for me.

[w4kry]

I am taking my Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch on our cruise. The Fire to play games and read at night and to watch movies in airport and the Touch to read out by the pool or on the beach.

[queenschick9b]

It isn't free in the middle of the ocean though.

 

It is free to you if you have the e-ink 3G kindle, Amazon picks up all charges on 3G no matter what, you don't pay for data. I have been able to use my browser (which you can only use internationally on the 3rd gen 3G with keyboard) and purchase books at sea on both RCL and NCL. As long as there is a cellular signal, which the ships have (it is usually EDGE on the ship and not at 3G) you can access it but it can be painfully slow.