Question about the Kindle Fire

[jacatone]

Is the Kindle Fire a full use tablet or just a conduit for Amazon's ebooks? Thanks.

[docg]

that may depend on your definition of full use tablet. Around here we describe things as tablet pc for those with full operating systems that use digital inking and can run regular software. some tablets that are just tablets are more entertainment oriented, but can do some inking and functions. So the real question you might need to ask is what do I want this 'tablet' to do?

Please note I don't have a kindle fire, this is merely from reading reviews. The only observation I have about the kindle fire is that it doesn't really seem to have a lot of editing capabilities for documents and pdf- this might be limited. It appears geared toward an entertainment hulu etc movies and ebooks and emagazines. You can read pdf, but you'll have to look up to find out how much annotating and note taking you can do.

Again, the question to ask yourself just might be what to I need a tablet to do and what do I also want it to do.

[jacatone]

I'm looking for a tablet that I can use at hotspots like the library and Starbucks to download files and transfer them to my computer or a flash drive.

[docg]

Based on the specs- it has wifi and has one usb port- but please note it is a micros usb port- so you'll have to have special adapter or cable for use- you should be able to do what you want. HOWEVER - the micro usb-b makes it less appealing as no current flash drives or thumb drives that I know are usb-B. You can plug a usb-micro-b cable into a computer and it will recognize the device as a usb drive The nook color actually has an sd card slot.

You might want to read pcworld article kindle fire or nook color

http://www.pcworld.com/article/244282/kindle_fire_vs_nook_tablet_which_should_you_buy.ht ml

[jacatone]

Yeah, I've pretty much ruled out the Fire. They're so many tablets out there now, I'll just have to find one with a full USB port to be able to do what I want with it.

[pmatulew]

The USB port really isn't necessary for transferring files on and off an Android tablet. And after you've swapped it out a few times you'll realize how delicate and finger fumbling awkward the micro SD port on the Nook Color is.

There are however several simple reliable cloud storage applications that allow you to add or remove files on a web server for later retrieval from anywhere. (DropBox is very popular) There are also several applications that are wifi based and allow you to connect directly to your PC or MAC in a file manager (itunes-esque) sort of way so you can drag and drop or import and export as you like. (Try AirDroid)

Android tablets are great for consumption on the go. Books, games, movies, music, light surfing. Not so much for creating and editing content since they are short on screen real estate and lack physical keyboards and mice or stylus for fine data inputs.

Some "tablets" are capable of USB hosting where with the correct adapter cable you can attach a USB card reader or USB hub and connect your peripherals. There are some that are dockable or bluetooth capable for pairing peripherals or have an array of full size I/O ports, but at that point you're carrying around a slightly bigger device and a bag full of gear and treading in territory where you may have been better off with a self contained TabletPC or laptop.

If you really need to go there, try the Toshiba Thrive.