The Kindle Fire

When the e-readers began coming out, I was one of those people who hated them.  I like having a book in my hands, not reading a little screen.  It probably stems from my dislike of change, but there you have it.  My mother got a regular Kindle over a year ago, and I played a few games on it when I saw her last spring.  It didn't really interest me, and I went on my merry way, continuing to buy more books that I have shelves to hold.

For my birthday in December, my husband, with a bit of help from his parents, got me a Kindle Fire.  What makes this hilarious is that I told both him and my own mother that I didn't want one.  I was very loud and obnoxious about my dislike for e-readers, so you would think they would have gotten the picture.  Instead, Mark decides to get me one and then my mother is annoyed because she wanted to get me one for Christmas. My family loves me, but I sometimes wonder why they all decided to get me something I didn't want.

Well, I have had my Kindle Fire for almost three months, and I actually like it quite a bit.  It has multiple functions that make it a fun toy.  Mark knows that I disliked the idea of using an e-reader, so he made me a case for my Kindle Fire out of a book he bought from the clearance shelf at the bookstore.  This way, I can still feel like I'm reading a book.  The best part is that it protects my Kindle.

I've carted my Kindle around quite a bit, but it looses some of its functionality when it is away from an internet connection.  At home, I can use our wi-fi, but it is not always available when I am out and about.  I haven't actually connected to any wi-fi away from home, so I can't say how easy it is to connect.  I know it was simple to set it up at home.  Someday, I would like to see a more effective way to stay connected.

For the most part, I use my Kindle to play Words With Friends and Wordfued, hence the need for an internet connection.  Our music is also uploaded to the cloud courtesy of Amazon, so I sometimes use it to access my music when Mark is using his computer, which houses the iTunes.  The games and music play nicely on the Kindle.  The volume doesn't get particularly loud for the music, but it gets loud enough to hear when I'm in the shower and it is laying on the counter.

As for battery life, I really can't complain.  I often go a few days without charging my Kindle.  If it is the weekend and I am playing a lot of games, I usually need to charge my Kindle that night.  For my needs, the Kindle has good battery life.

To this day, I have still not purchased a book to read on my Kindle.  I'm the tiniest bit stubborn.  Instead, I have continued to buy books that don't fit on my shelves.  Eventually, I'll be desperate and get a book for on the Kindle, and I'm sure I'll love it.  Until that day, it will continue to be my gaming tablet, since I don't need a whole lot of memory or power.

When I asked Mark why he would buy me a Kindle when I didn't want one, he told me that he thought I should have one so I could be more comfortable.  At night, ge had noticed me playing word games on my phone, which has a pretty small screen.  I'm glad he got me the Kindle Fire.  It's a nice piece of hardware that suits my needs.  Someday, I'll use it as an e-reader and wonder why I didn't use it that way earlier.  Until then, I'm going to go lose a game of Words With Friends to Rick.