Kindle HD 8.9 vs TF101

[digitaldurandal]

So, I am back in college and a lot of the text books are pdf with extensive images and tables. My e-reader is awesome, but doesn't quite cut it for these. I decided I should grab a tablet for school. I would also like to read comics on my tablet and surf the web in bed. It would not be bad if I could watch videos shared from my PC either, but it is only a plus not really a requirement.

Looking at some of the new tablets I quickly ruled out the Nexus 7, because of its size I don't think it would be ideal, although the price and performance are exactly where I want. I wish they had a Nexus 9 out, my decision would be made.

So at this point I am thinking about getting a Kindle HD 8.9. I have read in the reviews that it is slightly slower/clunkier than the recent tablets from other companies.

Here are my thoughts
Kindle Fire HD 8.9

PRO
Resolution
Warranty
Price for size (new)

CON
Slower and clunkier than newer tablets

I am also looking at some competing refurb products such as the TF101 and A500
---------------------
TF101

PRO
32gb vs 16
Screen size
Price 250 vs 299

CON
Resolution vs the HD

I am unsure how much of a difference in performance there would be between the two products.

Which would you get? Have another suggestion?

 

[Super56K]

Isn't it too soon to be comparing the 8.9" Fire to other tablets? I didn't think any one has gotten to hold/use one yet. (edit - specifically concerning your con of it being slower)

 

[dagamer34]

If text and images are your primary concern, higher resolution screen always wins.

 

[s44]

Main advantage of OG Transformer is if you're going to use the lapdock. If not, I don't see much point. Perhaps by the time the 8.9" comes out there will be a price drop on the TF300.

Also, B&N is also supposed to release a high-density Nook tablet soon.

 

[Monster_Munch]

Screen resolution would be the biggest factor if you want to read PDFs. I have the transformer prime TF201, and it's disappointing for PDFs. The screen size is fine but the resolution is only 1280x800 so images and tables can be hard to read.

If you can afford it I would say the iPad 3 is the best device for PDFs with its 2048x1536 screen. If you prefer android the Asus TF700 has a 1920x1200 display which is close.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think it's a bit premature to call the Fire HD 8.9 "slow and clunky". And it's blatantly false to call it slow and clunky compared to the TF101 of all things. It's going to easily outperform that old Tegra 2 based tablet.

I'm not sure how the TI OMAP 4470 will compare with a Tegra 3 tablet yet. But the one tablet with a OMAP 4470 actually competes very well with Tegra 3 tablets.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6158/the-archos-101-xs-review/3

The only real con that I see for the Fire HD is that it's running Kindle OS on Android 4.0. Is locked into Amazon's eco system without Google Play. And there is speculation it might be harder to root, more locked down.

 

[Bateluer]

I think it's a bit premature to call the Fire HD 8.9 "slow and clunky". And it's blatantly false to call it slow and clunky compared to the TF101 of all things. It's going to easily outperform that old Tegra 2 based tablet.

I'm not sure how the TI OMAP 4470 will compare with a Tegra 3 tablet yet. But the one tablet with a OMAP 4470 actually competes very well with Tegra 3 tablets.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6158/the-archos-101-xs-review/3

The only real con that I see for the Fire HD is that it's running Kindle OS on Android 4.0. Is locked into Amazon's eco system without Google Play. And there is speculation it might be harder to root, more locked down.

Came here to say exactly this. Comparing the TF101 to the Kindle HD 8.9 is almost a no brainer in the Kindle's favor. Tegra 2 wasn't a particularly good SoC. If you're looking at tablets in the TF101 variety, I'd look more at the TF300 or the TF700 if you can spring for the extra cost.

Hope to see some active development on the Kindle HD 8.9. I want an ~8.9in tablet to replace my GTab 8.9, but I don't want the forked Kindle OS.

 

[digitaldurandal]

I think it's a bit premature to call the Fire HD 8.9 "slow and clunky". And it's blatantly false to call it slow and clunky compared to the TF101 of all things. It's going to easily outperform that old Tegra 2 based tablet.

Me - "CON
Slower and clunkier than newer tablets"

@bateluer and @Monster_Munch

I won't bother unlocking the device.

If I had the money I would grab a transformer infinity with a keyboard dock and call it a day. I can't drop 500 - 650 bucks on a tablet unfortunately. I do prefer to avoid iOS as a personal preference.

So between the two you would say it is foolish to even consider the TF101.

Next question would be what would you consider in the 250-350 range? Is there a product I am overlooking?

 

[digitaldurandal]

Looks like the tf300 is over 100 bucks more than the Kindle HD 8.9 @ around 399. I could possibly swing that much, but would like to avoid it if possible. Would it be noticeably worth 100 bucks more? Obviously it has more screen real estate and I know that you have not had your hands on the new fire.

Also I mentioned the clunky and slow performance compared to Tegra 3 because a couple reviewers have mentioned that as an isssue, especially from the home screen.

 

[digitaldurandal]

I also just noticed that the HD 8.9 doesn't ship until 11/20. I would rather have something sooner than that, and prices may drop on the TF300 beforehand.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Me - "CON
Slower and clunkier than newer tablets"

Yes, but you listed it as a con under the faster tablet and not a con under the slower tablet. Which seemed odd and backwards.

If I had the money I would grab a transformer infinity with a keyboard dock and call it a day. I can't drop 500 - 650 bucks on a tablet unfortunately. I do prefer to avoid iOS as a personal preference.

So between the two you would say it is foolish to even consider the TF101.

Next question would be what would you consider in the 250-350 range? Is there a product I am overlooking?

TF101 was a nice tablet last year. It's just old and the Tegra 2 wasn't very good at all, especially with video playback.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is still quite a ways off as you noted.

I know you ruled out the 7 inch Nexus 7, but have tried it out? I was a big fan of 10 inch tablets and skeptical of the 7 inch form factor, but I really love it now. The resolution is high enough that I'm comfortable viewing any content on it. And it's so light and easy to hold in one hand that I can hold it closer to get a better view of everything. I'd say buy this at a retail store, try it out, return it if you don't like it.

 

[Bateluer]

I also just noticed that the HD 8.9 doesn't ship until 11/20. I would rather have something sooner than that, and prices may drop on the TF300 beforehand.

The TF300 is 380 MSRP, but its not uncommon to see it cheaper on sale. Still on the upper end of your price range though.

How do you feel about the Moto XyBoards? There's a 10.1 WiFi is 295 with original packing, and Incipio case. Its OMAP4430, better than Tegra 2, but not in the same league as the Tegra 3. When I went hands on with the Xyboards a while back, they had excellent screens, very solid build quality, and performed far better than the Tegra 2 devices. Still only a 1280x800 resolution screen though.
http://swappa.com/listing/THX845/view

 

[RockinZ28]

I wouldn't consider either without the intention of putting a custom ROM on them.

TF101 is pretty much dead even with the Nexus 7 once you get a JB ROM on there. Clearly the hardware was there, android is what was lagging, except for video playback which is the Tegra2's greatest flaw.

Kindle looks slow and laggy, and I wouldn't want to be on Amazon's rendition of android. So again rooting would be desired.

TF101 is also supposed to get an official JB update at some point.

Biggest reason to pick the new kindle would be the resolution, provided JB ROMs are readily available soon after release.

 

[digitaldurandal]

Yes, but you listed it as a con under the faster tablet and not a con under the slower tablet. Which seemed odd and backwards.




TF101 was a nice tablet last year. It's just old and the Tegra 2 wasn't very good at all, especially with video playback.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is still quite a ways off as you noted.

I know you ruled out the 7 inch Nexus 7, but have tried it out? I was a big fan of 10 inch tablets and skeptical of the 7 inch form factor, but I really love it now. The resolution is high enough that I'm comfortable viewing any content on it. And it's so light and easy to hold in one hand that I can hold it closer to get a better view of everything. I'd say buy this at a retail store, try it out, return it if you don't like it.

I just don't think it is going to cut it. The books I have to use do not even come close to fitting on my normal kindle, and are a strain to read even sideways on it. I would prefer not to buy the product locally and deal with returns.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I just don't think it is going to cut it. The books I have to use do not even come close to fitting on my normal kindle, and are a strain to read even sideways on it. I would prefer not to buy the product locally and deal with returns.

It might help to think in terms of resolution, not physical size. A Kindle is 800x600. A Nexus 7 is 1280x800, that is a pretty big resolution difference. Text on a 7 inch 1280x800 tablet is just as clear as a 10 inch 1280x800 tablet, you just need to hold it a bit closer to read, which is easy since it's lighter and easier to hold one handed.

I don't mean to twist your arm. It's just 10 inch tablets in the $300 price range are generally pretty bleh. But if that is what you want, then a TF101 or Xoom would be okay choices. I found the TF101 a bit more comfortable to hold, but the Xoom is nice because I think it h as Jelly Bean now (or getting it soon) and is kinda a Nexus tablet itself.

 

[dagamer34]

It might help to think in terms of resolution, not physical size. A Kindle is 800x600. A Nexus 7 is 1280x800, that is a pretty big resolution difference. Text on a 7 inch 1280x800 tablet is just as clear as a 10 inch 1280x800 tablet, you just need to hold it a bit closer to read, which is easy since it's lighter and easier to hold one handed.

I don't mean to twist your arm. It's just 10 inch tablets in the $300 price range are generally pretty bleh. But if that is what you want, then a TF101 or Xoom would be okay choices. I found the TF101 a bit more comfortable to hold, but the Xoom is nice because I think it h as Jelly Bean now (or getting it soon) and is kinda a Nexus tablet itself.

The Kindle Fire 8.9" will be just $299. Not sure I would call it bleh (but the jury is still out until there are proper reviews).

 

[Ravynmagi]

The Kindle Fire 8.9" will be just $299. Not sure I would call it bleh (but the jury is still out until there are proper reviews).

I wasn't referring to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 when I said "bleh". It's not available for a couple months, so I think digitaldurandal is excluding that now since he wants something more immediate.

 

[Strk]

The Kindle Fire 8.9" will be just $299. Not sure I would call it bleh (but the jury is still out until there are proper reviews).

I think that the bleh part is more about companies that are selling the tablet itself for profit. Amazon, last I knew, is selling tablets for close-to cost, since their thing is content. The 8.9 for 300 is probably only a little above cost. You figure an Ipad 3 costs around 330 to make, so the Fire 8.9 being around 300 wouldn't surprise me.

 

[digitaldurandal]

It might help to think in terms of resolution, not physical size. A Kindle is 800x600. A Nexus 7 is 1280x800, that is a pretty big resolution difference. Text on a 7 inch 1280x800 tablet is just as clear as a 10 inch 1280x800 tablet, you just need to hold it a bit closer to read, which is easy since it's lighter and easier to hold one handed.

I don't mean to twist your arm. It's just 10 inch tablets in the $300 price range are generally pretty bleh. But if that is what you want, then a TF101 or Xoom would be okay choices. I found the TF101 a bit more comfortable to hold, but the Xoom is nice because I think it h as Jelly Bean now (or getting it soon) and is kinda a Nexus tablet itself.

Size at the same resolution definitely matters, especially for books that are printed in only one large size and not a novel size. There is definitely a ppi happy medium in there, If you really want to sell me on the nexus 7 pm me and I will send you a copy of an example text to see how it shows up on there. I don't expect you to jump through this hoop for me but of course I would appreciate it.

In any case I was starting to talk myself into just grabbing a transformer infinity but the video review i watched on youtube the display started showing lines, then i started looking into the RMA results for their previous transformer... and the results were not so hot.

This is another reason I am considering the kindle hd. Amazon is the king of customer service. I know people who have had kindles that were out of warranty by over a year, had an issue and Amazon was like sure want us to cross ship you a brand new one? I definitely would be pissed if I dropped 488 on a transformer from newegg and after less than a month the display was shot and Asus kept my tablet for a month to RMA.

I really am leaning towards waiting on more info from the HD 8.9. Which means I am stuck sitting here for more hours of the day reading these PDF files, but it will give more time for competition too. Perhaps a Nexus 9 will be introduced..

I hate making these kind of decisions. I want everyone to know I appreciate the input so far, don't be shy keep it coming.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Size at the same resolution definitely matters, especially for books that are printed in only one large size and not a novel size. There is definitely a ppi happy medium in there, If you really want to sell me on the nexus 7 pm me and I will send you a copy of an example text to see how it shows up on there. I don't expect you to jump through this hoop for me but of course I would appreciate it.

In any case I was starting to talk myself into just grabbing a transformer infinity but the video review i watched on youtube the display started showing lines, then i started looking into the RMA results for their previous transformer... and the results were not so hot.

This is another reason I am considering the kindle hd. Amazon is the king of customer service. I know people who have had kindles that were out of warranty by over a year, had an issue and Amazon was like sure want us to cross ship you a brand new one? I definitely would be pissed if I dropped 488 on a transformer from newegg and after less than a month the display was shot and Asus kept my tablet for a month to RMA.

I really am leaning towards waiting on more info from the HD 8.9. Which means I am stuck sitting here for more hours of the day reading these PDF files, but it will give more time for competition too. Perhaps a Nexus 9 will be introduced..

I hate making these kind of decisions. I want everyone to know I appreciate the input so far, don't be shy keep it coming.

Regarding the first part. I'm pretty sure a 7 inch 1280x800 screen will hold the same amount of text as a 10 inch 1280x800 screen. It'll just be smaller looking, but because of the higher DPI, just as readable.

Of course if you are looking at a 10 inch 1920x1200 like the Infinity that'll even be better.

Sadly as you noticed, ASUS has quality issues. They are real nice tablets, but they are all real nice tablets and there are quite a few defects. For some reason ASUS seems to be plagued with this issue more than most. I get the feeling ASUS kinda rushes their products out. The Nexus 7 would be included in this (also made by ASUS). The Nexus 7 and Infinity have been out a couple months, so hopefully most of the manufacturing defects are minimized now.

Unfortunately for us and fortunately for ASUS, the Android competition just generally sucks at tablets. Samsung hasn't done anything good, the Galaxy Tab 2 and Note 10.1 are jokes. Motorola release anything since the Xyboards?. Acer seems to be releasing budget tablets and just undercutting ASUS by $50, which usually isn't a good deal.

But if you are considering spending more on a tablet, I think the iPad 3 would be a very good choice. It's got an amazing display, text looks very nice on this. It's extremely well built.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is thinner than the iPad 3, so I'm not sure how you can call it "clunky." I'm considering one to replace my Touchpad as my main tablet, but I think I am going to wait for some reviews.

 

[Bateluer]

This is another reason I am considering the kindle hd. Amazon is the king of customer service. I know people who have had kindles that were out of warranty by over a year, had an issue and Amazon was like sure want us to cross ship you a brand new one?

In Amazon's eyes, the Kindle is a sales kiosk to get you to buy Amazon/Kindle content. Since they take a cut of every book, e-zine, video, etc that you buy or rent on the Kindle, its in their best interests to make sure you always have a working Kindle and are happy enough to continue buying their content. Asus doesn't have that luxury, most hardware makers don't. You can hit the Play Store, but Toshiba, Lenovo, HTC, etc, don't get a cut from it.

 

[digitaldurandal]

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is thinner than the iPad 3, so I'm not sure how you can call it "clunky." I'm considering one to replace my Touchpad as my main tablet, but I think I am going to wait for some reviews.

By clunky I mean in the context of navigation. It is not my opinion it is from reviews of the HD (and in that context not the 8.9 as apparently no one has been allowed to touch it yet)

I would consider an ipad 3 but I really do not like iOS. I used to use apple back in the apple IIe days but I have not been thrilled with anything by them since about 1995 or so. Honestly I cannot say I have given their tablet a fair shot.

How nice does it play with windows, can I use wifi to access a shared directory of pdfs, mp3s, etc from a home server without much headache?

 

[digitaldurandal]

Regarding the first part. I'm pretty sure a 7 inch 1280x800 screen will hold the same amount of text as a 10 inch 1280x800 screen. It'll just be smaller looking, but because of the higher DPI, just as readable.

imagine an exaggerated example of a 1 inch device running 1280x800 vs a 12 inch display running 1280x800. Of course they have the same information on the screen, but it size does matter too. Especially if I need to sit and read for hours and hours. It is difficult enough to get myself to sit there for an extended period of time doing it, eye strain is the last thing I will need. My eyes are pretty good, I do not have glasses or anything, but I find even on my computer when I am doing extending reading I turn the text size up. This allows me to adjust my viewing position and not be limited to sitting with the screen a specific distance at all times as well.

Again I hope I am wrong. 200 bucks for a tablet that comes with a 25 dollar credit to the google play store and has state of the art hardware? I am in... except for the reading part. I wonder if I can go somewhere and try one out, load a book on it and fiddle with it.

 

[zerogear]

Personally I would grab a TF700