Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 free trial offer

I just figured i'd share my thoughts on the kindle fire HDX 8.9. I got one for a free 30 day trial from amazon. I decided to put my nexus 7 (1st gen) away for a few days and only use the kindle fire. It was a nice experiment, but I think I'll be sticking with my nexus 7.

Instead of doing this long form review style, I'll go ahead and just give a quick list of my likes and dislikes with this tablet and then I'll gives some closing remarks.

Likes:

• The screen was really nice. 8.9 inches and very sharp. It was nice for apps and internet browsing, but from time to time streaming videos would look a little less sharp than expected. Overall, a nice screen.
• Keyboard - really nice prediction and the multiple layouts were great for typing in either landscape or portrait.
• App store - the app selection was good. Plenty of apps to choose from and very easy to install.
• Size - The tablet was very thin and light, but after a while the 8.9 in frame would start to wear on you, but overall it felt really good.

Dislikes

• Volume - the volume output wasn't that great. It was pretty weak honestly. My htc one s was pretty comparable if not better.
• The button placement was great for landscape mode, but left a lot to be desired. They made for a flush finish, but not all that great for ease of use.
• App store - even though there were many apps to choose from, it you were looking for any Google apps, then good luck. They didn't seem to be there. 
• No real multi-task button. The carousel of apps was nice, but it was a little annoying having to exit an app and then having to scroll through the recent apps.
• Ads - The ads were annoying, but not necessarily a deal breaker. I believe you can pay a few dollors more and get the ad free version.

In the end, I would gladly recommend this tablet to someone who is deeply rooted in the Amazon world. It offers easy shopping in Amazon and a wide variety of apps. It has a great screen and is plenty fast enough for any games the you may want to play.For the Googlephiles out there, this may not be the tablet for you. If you're used to all of your Google goodness then this is not your tablet. These are my opinions on this tablet and I hope it may help someone out. If you have any questions about this tablet, feel free to ask. I'll keep it for another few days before sending it back. Take care.

It's been a while

I haven't posted on here in a while. I figured I'd fire up the old blog again and try something a little more regular. Since my last post, I've stepped out of the classroom and into the corporate arena. I'm sure I'll have a much more tamed blog than during my time in the classroom, but I plan on giving commentary on everything from movies to politics. I'll probably tweet out the post and add on various social media, but feel free to follow the blog if you feel compelled. Looking forward to getting back into the blogosphere. Should be fun.

Day 9

Today we took a cruise on the Rhine. It was lovely. We got to see some old castles and some lovely views of German wine country. It was a very relaxing day.

Day 8

We left our home stay families this morning and spent the day in Heidelberg. It was a nice town. I was able to get some chocolate for my wife so I hope it can make it back to the states without any melting or anything.

Day 7

Last night with my home stay family and I'm truly going to miss them. They are a lovely bunch of people. Today me and the other leaders had a BBQ with all of our home stay families in a private garden and it was an awesome time. We threw the football around and ate some awesome food.

The day started off at the school where we got to hang out with some German students and I even got to help teach a lesson about 9/11. It was interesting teaching history. The students enoyedus being in their classes. I enjoyed Ms. Heinrich's 5th year German literature class the most. The kids were adorable.

It's interesting to hear that Germany faces some of the same educational problems that we do and they have a completely different system. I have no complaints about my time in Germany.

Day 5

We started off in Luzerne. It was a nice town. We got to see the lion statue dedicated to the mercenaries that protected the royalty back in the day but ended up being slaughtered. It was an amazing statue. Then we walked across the old wooden bridge, one of the oldest bridges in the region. We then boarded the bus and headed to lunch. Thank goodness because I'm running on reserves. This trip is easily the best trim down I could do. Constantly walking with just enough food to keep you going. I'm not mad at that. This afternoon we're going to see some cuckoo clocks get made. Should be interesting.

Day 4

Today we did a service project. Chopped some saplings in order to build a maze,and  then we got some time to walk around Scuol. It's a nice town.