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.