Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Updated 1-31-2012 Ok with the software update the main privacy issues have been corrected. With that, it's now 4 stars. This is after many months of use on the device now. The power button and no volume control still drive me crazy. The need for an external volume control is a MUST!!!!! However, I have found myself using my Fire a lot, even with an iPad2 sitting next to me. You ask why...well I found that I leave my iPad2 at home and take the Fire with me when I leave the house. Reasons are twofold. First it's smaller and more portable. Second it's inexpensive, so if I lose it or drop it, I don't care as much. Now for the function of the device, I find myself playing games on it and watching shows while I run on my treadmill. My daughter plays games and reads books on it at school. I would NEVER let her take my iPad2, but the Fire. Sure why not. My wife also plays games and reads on it. Still not close the leave of the iPad2, but it's not supposed to be, but it's a good buy at this price point. Still not good for web browsing or magazines, but maybe I feel that way because of my iPad2. Can you do it... sure!?!? Just not a good user experience. Original review: Well I was going to review how the Fire functions.... However...I think its important to let people know that ANY AND I MEAN ANY item you have purchased, watched or website last visited on your kindle is gong to show up in this items carousel at the top. Even if you dont have it on the device. Which is fine unless yor wife doesnt want everyone who touches the device to know what romance novels she has read, or self help book you may have bought, or movies you have watched. NO PRIVACY ON THE DEVICE AT ALL. Hope I get to update this soon saying they have fixed this problem. Ok I need to update...lowing to one star on the carousel issue alone. Now that I have used the product more the major short comings are annoying as heck. No external volume control...it's a complicated process just to get the volume to go up or down. The power button is in a horrible spot. The Fire is being "put out" all the time by accidently hitting the power on the bottom...really...the bottom. Speakers are weak and the touch screen is hit and miss. I did not expect this to be nearly as amazing as my Ipad2 or my Iphone or iThis or iThat at this price point, but I expect the device to have the simplest design flaws covered. Don't get me started on the android market. You can tell that these apps are all designed to cover a wide range of phones not tablets. Having used an android phone, in the past, and that's where it will stay, nothing there has improved. Hit and miss.... ugly and buggy. I wonder if the individuals who designed the product have ever used other tablet products out there????? or actually use them for the purpose they say this is for. A media tablet without external volume controls.....REALLY! Update #2 Still trying to like this device....still having a hard time. Last night my daughter picked it up and tried to play a game and the first thing she says is "where is the volume control???" I show her and she says "well that's stupid". Which I totally agree!! Tried using the web browser and it is painfully slowwwwwwwwww[...] Won't even load some pages I have tried. Small and hard to read full pages. Mobile versions aren't too bad. Tried browsing apps and the device kept freezing and shutting down. Finally gave up. Tried some sample magazines. Impossible to read as normal pages and the text view is very disjointed. Notice...lots of "trying" to use! Books.....hard to read on a screen that doesn't adjust to different lighting conditions and not that sharp. Also not near as polished as the iPad or the new nook. On those devices you can actually "turn" the page. A much more enjoyable experience than the touchy jumping to the next page. Movies look good, sound bad. Have not loaded music yet. Too many other devices in my home to waste my time there.