Geek Swagger.
Movies
Thoughts on Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Jan 8th
Back in June 2010, while rumors were circulating that Amazon was developing a tablet device, I wrote a post which suggested that they would be the only company that could create a product to successfully compete with Apple’s iPad. My reasoning was that they were successfully developing a content atmosphere with products like Amazon MP3, Video on Demand and the Amazon App Store with its free app of the day that would compare to Apple’s digital hub. Now that I’ve used the Kindle Fire for a couple weeks I figured I’d share my thoughts about whether Apple should be worried or not.
Hardware
When I first pulled my Kindle Fire out of its box I have to admit that it was bulkier than I expected. Although I owned the first generation of the iPad, I had long since sold it, and so my closest frame of reference was my iPhone 4S. That’s probably not a fair comparison, but I’ll just say the Kindle Fire felt thicker than it should be, at least initially. Over time I’ve gotten used to the heft of the device and, now that I’ve used it for a while, I’m fairly comfortable with holding it.
One way that the Kindle Fire does compare to the iPad is its monolithic form factor with a lack of many physical buttons. The only button you’ll find on the device is located on the bottom bezel next to its charging and syncing port. I have noticed that the location of the button plus the device’s smaller form factor has caused me to accidentally push it (which causes the device to lock) while I’m holding it in portrait orientation from time to time. That issue is only mildly annoying and probably more of a matter of training myself to place my hands further from the center of the device while using it. Over time I’ve noticed the accidental device locks have been less frequent.
The form factor itself has been surprisingly useable. The only other tablet I’ve ever used for a substantial amount of time is the Apple iPad, so I’m used to a larger device. With that said, I think I prefer the smaller Kindle Fire in some cases, most of all for portability. It has also been more condusive to browsing the mobile web without feeling like I’m using a site designed for a significantly smaller device, and that carries over to using apps designed for phones rather than tablets. When using the iPad’s zoom feature to view iPhone apps on it, I always felt like I was using a Fisher Price version of the app (buttons and other UI elements were blown up and felt cumbersome). The Kindle Fire splits the difference however, which means that phone apps work just fine on the somewhat-larger display.
One last potential issue I’ve noticed with the Kindle Fire is that the display does tend to have some temporary ghosting. Every now and then I notice ghosted elements of a different application or of user interface elements that are on the screen frequently. It’s not a huge issue and the ghosting goes away, but it might bug some users. I think it’s important to remember that this device only costs $199 when nitpicking such issues, and when you take that into consideration I honestly think any slight ghosting isn’t a deal-breaker if you’re interested in the Kindle Fire. Additionally, since my Kindle Fire was purchased very early in the device’s life cycle, that issue might be resolved or could be a manufacturing glitch specific to my device. With that said, the problem isn’t significant enough for me to consider returning it for a replacement device.
Apps, Media & Web Browsing
Consuming content on the Kindle Fire is a joy. Because I’m an Amazon Prime member and have used Amazon’s various content services before, all I had to do was login to my Amazon account and I had instant access to my entire music library through Amazon MP3, all of the apps I had downloaded from the Amazon App Store, and all of the books I had purchased through Amazon’s Kindle app. Best of all, access to all of my content was instant because it’s all stored in the cloud so I didn’t have to spend hours syncing everything to the device.
Listening to music on the Kindle Fire through the cloud works well over wifi. I’ve experienced issues with their mobile app for phones such as my previous Motorola Droid X, where-in streaming over a 3G connection produced a lot of time spent buffering. That hasn’t been my experience on the Kindle Fire, however. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m using a more solid wifi connection, but playback has been fairly instant and I haven’t run into the same buffering problem. At this point I haven’t felt the need to sync any of my music to my device which is a testament to the playback from the cloud. If you’re planning on using your Kindle to listen to music I would recommend investing in a decent pair of headphones though, as the internal speaker isn’t anything to write home about.
When I had an iPad my primary reading app was iBooks, but having read on the Kindle Fire I’m happy to say that it’s just as readable if not more so. You have many of the same options as with iBooks, including changing the background color of your book, how big or small the font size is, and the style of font you prefer to read. The reader also has a slew of other handy features, like the ability to search a book or document, make notes and of course leave a bookmark. Navigating pages is pretty simple, just a tap on the left or right side of the screen to move backward or forward a page, or you can swipe your finger across the page to replicate the page turning experience, though it’s not as elegant as the page turn in iBooks (but now I’m just splitting hairs).
The Amazon app store, though easy to use, does leave something to be desired. Although I’m sure the selection will improve over time, the amount of apps developed specifically for the Kindle Fire is lacking right now. There isn’t a great Twitter or Facebook client available yet, though simple apps which link to each service’s mobile website (think more of a bookmark) are available. It has been nice to revisit my collection of Amazon apps that I had on my old Droid X though, and like I mentioned previously even apps developed for phones specifically work pretty well on this device.
Between the Amazon video on demand software and the Netflix app, if you’re looking to watch video on the Kindle Fire you should be pleasantly surprised. Video streams very well in my experience, even when skipping around a video by scrubbing through its timeline. I can’t say a whole lot about the quality because I’m far from a videophile, but for a device this small I haven’t been let down at all. It’s definitely watchable, though I’d recommend some headphones because the sound volume is a bit low at times.
My time spent using the Kindle Fire has re-introduced me to the mobile web in a way. To make up for the fact that I don’t have a great Twitter or Facebook app yet, I’ve been using both services’ mobile sites more. Additionally, to speed up the Fire’s Silk browser I’ve defaulted to a site’s mobile version whenever possible. This doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the Kindle Fire specifically, I have to admit that browsing the mobile web is often an enjoyable experience so don’t rule it out if you’re without an app! Most major websites have put a lot of time and thought into their mobile site, and you can usually complete the same tasks as you can with a full website or app. With that said, I have noticed that the Silk browser is a bit pokey at times. There are already guides on the web for settings you can change to speed up the browser, but by default it’s a little slow. I’m sure that Amazon will fix that issue with a future software update, though.
Recommendation
Overall, I’d have to recommend Amazon’s Kindle Fire. For a mere $199 it’s a heck of a package if you want easy access to your content collection. As is the case with most consumer electronic devices there are some imperfections in software this early in the product lifecycle, but many of those will be fixed in time. It’s hard to argue with a device that offers a lot of the great tablet experience I’ve enjoyed with the iPad at a price point that’s less than half that of the cheapest Apple model. The good news is that these things are flying off the shelf, so if you’re curious about the Kindle Fire just ask a friend or go try one out at a store!
Netflix Instant Watch Pick: Vice Guide to Travel
Jan 24th
I had been thinking that a Netflix streaming-only subscription was a good idea long before they followed through, so when it finally became a reality I jumped all over the $7.99 plan. It should be noted that Netflix is now also scaling back their DVD offerings in general to favor streaming content, a move that I full support but that has caused a lot of controversy among their loyal customer base.
The way I look at it is, including computers, I have 7 or more devices that are able to stream Netflix content on-demand, so why would I want to wait for physical DVDs to be sent to me? Also, for whatever reason, if I have a physical Netflix disc sitting near my entertainment center that goes unwatched I tend to feel much more wasteful than if I go a while without using Instant Watch. I'm sure it's completely psychological and I chalk it up as one of my myriad quirks. This post wasn't really suposed to be about the Netflix service itself though - instead I have a recommendation that will put your subscription to good use!
Vice Guide to Travel
Simply put, the Vice Guide to Travel involves a group of people that travel to turbulent, dangerous or seldom-exposed places in the world for the purpose of documentation. It's a multi-part series that's billed as a travel guide but in reality it's more a candid look at interesting places that you would probably never want to visit. I've watched just about the entire season and have seen episodes about the radiation in Chernobyl, the gun markets of Pakistan and a war waged over the origin of vodka. Although slightly disturbing in some cases, most of the episodes are extremely interesting if you're into different cultures and areas of the world. There was, however, one episode which sticks out as a must-see regardless.
Vice Invades North Korea
Let me preface this by saying that the reason the Vice Guide to Travel caught my eye in the first place was this episode. I had recently watched a presented by National Geographic that showed me just enough about North Korea to know that I wanted more. What sets the Vice Guide to North Korea apart is that where the National Geographic reporters would tread lightly the Vice guys pushed the boundaries to the point of risking imprisonment. I make an effort to never veer down the path of discussing politics or religion here (or really anywhere if I can avoid it) because more often than not those discussions lead to conflict. That said North Korea is a crazy place, a sort of communist micrcosm cut off from the rest of the world, and I find it endlessly intriguing (though saying that makes me feel guilty to an extent).
So that's it really, go take a look at the and if you enjoy it like I did you may end up giving the other episodes a look as well!
TRON Legacy, Olivia Wilde is My New Girlfriend, Etc.
Jan 6th
This isn't the most timely post but I saw TRON Legacy about a week and a half ago and I wanted to comment on it. Let me start off by saying I'm not someone that grew up loving TRON. It was a bit before my time truthfully, and I'd only really seen bits and pieces of the original until about a week before I saw TRON Legacy. For that reason just know that I'm looking at it through whatever the opposite of rose-colored glasses are.
The original TRON had some really exciting and cool ideas, and stayed just true enough to the topic at hand to keep geeks like me into it without completely blowing the casual watcher out of the picture. Even in 2010 it was visually unique, though dated, but overall I enjoyed it and was impressed that a film like that could come out when it did.
Legacy
So then, what did I think of TRON Legacy? I thought it was excellent. Well worth the money spent to go and see it, that's for sure. Although the story does miss some opportunities that I've heard discussed, such as drawing off of changes to the real-world tech industry in the past twenty years and applying that to the new, updated TRON universe, but it was still cohesive and enjoyable.
Where the movie really shines though, true to its older brother, is in the audio and visual department. TRON Legacy is the reason 3D in the cinema works. It's truly stunning, and something that words don't really do justice. The look and feel of Legacy has enough similarities with the original to clearly tie it back in, but it also gets an upgrade to make it relevant in 2010 (and for the next 20 years).
Add to that the excellent soundtrack which was entirely created by the electronic duo Daft Punk (how perfect is that, by the way?) and you're in for a truly excellent ride. I had listened to the soundtrack before seeing the movie and enjoyed it quite a bit, so sitting in the theater with my 3D glasses on I actually got the chills a couple times when some truly incredible stuff was going down to tunes that I recognized. The soundtrack itself is something to behold, and although I don't think TRON Legacy is a glorified Daft Punk video as some have put it (and I still haven't decided if that's a bad thing in and of itself?), the movie would be different without it.
Another reason to see it is Olivia Wilde, who is gorgeous in the film. I've liked her ever since I she played Jenny on The Black Donnellys a ways back, a show that I loved but was unfortunately cancelled after one season, so to see her killing it on screen again is awesome. Cause seriously? She's smokin'.
So do yourself and go see TRON in the theater. Nowadays with the 50" LED HDTV's folks can buy there's less and less reason to actually visit a movie theater, but TRON Legacy is one of them.
