by john | Nov 28, 2011 | Promos/Giveaways
Two weeks ago tomorrow, I got my Kindle Fire. Now I’m that guy, the guy that has the newest toys, so it surprises no one that I got my Kindle Fire on release day. Since I’ve usually got an angle or two working, it also surprised none of my friends that I used a bunch of Amex points to get it for $40 with case. So I was pretty happy with it, and since I’ve been Amazon Prime for years, I took full advantage of the two-day shipping deal.So here comes my review, especially since I’ll be giving one away soon!
Two weeks later, here are my thoughts in a nutshell – super device, almost but not quite an iPad killer for me, needs better battery life. I’ve already sold off my old Kindle to a friend of mine because I just don’t see the use of having three devices to read on (technically four, since I do still read on my phone once in a while).
But let’s look at the things it does well, then we’ll talk about the issues.
Pro – Great e-reader. It syncs seamlessly to my Amazon library, and the interface is very easy to use. It’s a swipe page-turn, just like the iPad (and I assume the new Kindle Touch), so I was already used to that. I can’t say how much I love the library view of bookcovers instead of the old listing of books on my greyscale Kindle. It’s a beautiful display, and it lets those of us that care about book covers appreciate the covers to the books we buy.
Pro – Video is awesome – I got it with a case, and for video I think it would be nigh-useless without it. The case flips around to make it a stand so I can watch TV or movies without holding it, and that’s a good thing. The stand is a little cheesy, but I’m sure that better cases will come along.
Pro – sound is better than iPad. The internal speakers are better than the iPad, which makes it good to play music for a small room. The iPad just doesn’t have enough horsepower to fill even a small room and sound good, so this is a definite winner.
Pro/Con – Size – the 7″ tablet form factor is just better for a lot of things, including reading, movies and transport. Even with the iPad’s small form factor I’ve found it difficult to find a great position to watch movies on airplanes. The space between seats is just too damn small nowadays. I’m headed to Las Vegas on Thursday and am looking forward to seeing how the smaller device does, but I think it will be a better fit. But on the other hand, for some things you want the bigger screen. The Autodesk Sketch app is awesome for the iPad, but I don’t see it being very useful on the smaller screen. For those things that you want something the size of a sheet of paper to do, the iPad is the tool. For things that half a sheet of paper is a better size, then you use the Fire.
Con – Battery life – this is a big deal. I’ve yet to be able to read, surf and listen to music all day without having to recharge. I’ve been kind of a heavy user the past few days, because I’ve been home for the holidays, but I really wonder if the thing will last a four-hour plane ride. And that’s the acid test for me. I need a device that can last from Charlotte to Las Vegas and keep me entertained, dammit! I make that trip two to five times every year, and I want my toys to be able to hang for the whole trip.
Cons – Charger – the transformer is cheesy. I know, it’s a tiny thing, but the power adapter on the cheap-ass Kindle with Special Offers I bought a few months ago works as a power adapter AND disconnects to become a USB sync cable. The fact that this device can’t do the same sucks. I have to scrounge around and buy another USB adaptor, because the connector that fits the Kindle fits nothing else I own, so that’s a pain in the ass.
But those are the only two issues I’m having, and they’re not huge. I think for 95% of users, the Fire will be brilliant. And it’s almost brilliant for me. I can honestly say that in the two weeks I’ve had it, I’ve picked up my iPad less than half a dozen times, and my old Kindle not at all. The backlit display doesn’t bug me, and I read in low light much more often than I read in bright, glare-y situations, so that also is not a major issues to me. I like the compact size a lot, and the screen is awesome. I wish it had 2-3 times as much memory, but I admittedly tend to carry too much data. I wish it were a little lighter weight, but then I don’t think it could do the things it does.
The other pesky things to me are the lack of a manual volume button and no page turn buttons. I really liked the page turn buttons on the Kindle. And making two motions to get the volume control to pop up is a pain in the butt.
So there are my good and bad thoughts on the Kindle Fire, overall I love the device. And I think when you factor in the $200 price tag, it becomes a whole bag of awesome.
And don’t forget to register to win one, right here!
by john | Nov 23, 2011 | Business of publishing, Promos/Giveaways
It’s the hottest new toy for the holidays, it’s the Kindle Fire! And I’m giving away not one, but TWO of them! Yep, two lucky winners will get a Kindle Fire this holiday season, and it’s 100% free to enter and win!
Yep, this is how I’m using the last of my marketing budget for the year!
It might be free, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be simple – there are LOTS of ways to gain entries, and if I’m gonna drop $400 on electronics, you better believe I have a plan to sell a few books in the process.
I’ll even go you one better. If any of my books hits the Kindle Top 100 at any point during the contest, I’ll add in a third Kindle! So the more books I move in the next month, the better your chance to win a Kindle!
Here’s how you can win -There might be even more ways to win coming soon, so keep checking back here –
Here are the rules for the contest –
Contest runs through 11PM EST, November 23, 2011, to 5PM EST, December 19, 2011. That should give me enough time to order the kindles and get them shipped to people for Christmas delivery (I’ve got Prime, so it’ll be 2-day delivery). There’s no purchase necessary, and all the ways to earn entries are listed below.
You get one entry for commenting on this blog post. That’s all it takes – one comment that says “I wanna win!” or something to that effect.
You get one entry for signing up for my email newsletter – click the box on the right-hand side of the page
You get one entry for following me on Twitter – @johnhartness
You get one entry for “liking” my Facebook Author page
You get one entry for Following this blog using Google Friend Connect (also in the right sidebar for the folks in RSS reader-land)
You get one entry for following my Ebook promo site – Ebook Deals Today – on Twitter – @ebookdeals2day
You get one entry for “liking” Ebook Deals Today on Facebook
You get one entry for every Facebook post that links to one of my book or Ebook Deals Today.
You get one entry for every tweet that links to one of my books (and includes my twitter handle so I can find it!) or Ebook Deals Today. Retweets count!
If you have a blog, you get one entry for every time you link to this blog, EbookDealsToday.com, or one of my books on your blog.
Take a picture of yourself reading one of my books somewhere interesting, or holding up a sign promo’ing my books somewhere interesting, post it to Facebook, and I’ll give you one entry per photo.
And if you come up with some other type of crazy creative marketing stunt that might result in a few sales for me, let me know and I’ll give you an entry for that, too!
Those are all ways to win without buying anything. No BS, and it only takes one entry to win.
But if you want to max out your chances, you might want to buy a book or two. This is a sales/promo contest, after all.
You get 10 entries for every book of mine you buy between now (11/23/11) and the end of the contest – 5PM on 12/19/11 – you have to email me a receipt (please black out personal info like credit card data) or buy the books through PayPal here on the site.
You can also get 10 entries for every book you buy from me in print form – just order them here on the site or pick them up at one of my live events.
You get 5 entries for every book you buy that is a featured Ebook Deal of the Day on EbookDealsToday.com. These books all have positive reviews and all are under $6.99.
You get 5 entries for every review you write of one of my books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes. And the reviews should be honest. If you think my writing is crap on toast (pop quiz, which urban fantasy author did I steal that phrase from – worth another entry to the first correct commenter) then you should say so. If you hate it and give it a review (must be at least 100 words, and no bs like “I hated it” 34 times) I’ll give you two entries. That’s two entries per book reviewed, so the more reviews you write, the more entries you get. Obviously you can only review each book once, because to do anything else skews the review process. So no sock puppet reviews, no multiple reviews, and please don’t slag another book in a positive review for mine (or vice versa).
So there’s the plan – and if you have other things that you can do to promote my site or my books, then you’ll get extra entries for it and I’ll post those methods here so everybody can get the same benefit. YouTube videos featuring my books, getting my book covers on an episode of Vampire Diaries (it shoots in Atlanta, it could be done!), whatever you can do to become my street team and promo my books here at the holidays will earn you entries.
And remember, if any one of my books reaches the Kindle Top 100, I’ll give away a third Kindle Fire!
Please email any questions or entries to johnhartness AT gmail DOT com. You know what to do with that address.
UPDATE – Suzanne gets the bonus entry for knowing that crap on toast is from Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. I love those books. A bunch.
