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on July 10, 2016
Pros:
I like how it has a different user for my kid, allowing me to choose which apps he can see.
I like the big icons making it easier for him to use.
I like the characters option making it easier to find content.
Cons:
System storage goes up mysteriously everytime he watches a video with NO WAY to free it up, causing the system memory to be too used and force it's users into a Factory Reset. This is a terrible design flaw that needs to be fixed.
The icons for purchases are mixed with the icons already purchased: my son thinks they're all available and thus tries to grab each one thinking it's imediately avilable.....it would be great if the home page would only show what's been downloaded.
Even though you load a 128 GM micro sd card, much of the system still relies on the internal memory which will automatically fill up when you watch too many videos. Apps also require some space on the internal memory even if you set it to load to the SD card, meaning you are still limited to 16GB at best.
I think I'm going back to the ipad mini...which sucks cause I really liked being able to limit apps on this device for my kid without having to just delete the apps i want to use. Plus i liked the idea of my son being able to use the fire unlimited to download his own apps. Sorry Amazon, great idea, ruined by poor storage management design.
I like how it has a different user for my kid, allowing me to choose which apps he can see.
I like the big icons making it easier for him to use.
I like the characters option making it easier to find content.
Cons:
System storage goes up mysteriously everytime he watches a video with NO WAY to free it up, causing the system memory to be too used and force it's users into a Factory Reset. This is a terrible design flaw that needs to be fixed.
The icons for purchases are mixed with the icons already purchased: my son thinks they're all available and thus tries to grab each one thinking it's imediately avilable.....it would be great if the home page would only show what's been downloaded.
Even though you load a 128 GM micro sd card, much of the system still relies on the internal memory which will automatically fill up when you watch too many videos. Apps also require some space on the internal memory even if you set it to load to the SD card, meaning you are still limited to 16GB at best.
I think I'm going back to the ipad mini...which sucks cause I really liked being able to limit apps on this device for my kid without having to just delete the apps i want to use. Plus i liked the idea of my son being able to use the fire unlimited to download his own apps. Sorry Amazon, great idea, ruined by poor storage management design.
on August 17, 2016
We just purchased a second for our youngest to watch movies on the road. There are a few things I LOVE about it and some I really dislike. I LOVE how sturdy this thing is. My 3 year old has managed to break pretty much everything that has been labelled indestructible except this. We gave it to him for his 3rd birthday and here we are over 4 months later without even a crack in the screen. I love it! I also love the quality of the speakers on it. Clean audio but with some stuff the volume can get too loud! With this being said I hate the program that it comes with. I can't figure the way out. Endless, mindless lists of books, games, shows, etc...sounds great, right? No! We just set ours up like a regular tablet with the added perks of "extra stuff." And the charger they send? It's a freaking joke. My 3 year old destroyed it. It was like 6" anyways so I wasnt too upset. Until I got on the phone with "Kindle fire support"....they have no idea what they're doing and apparently dont hear a thing you say to them....I hope I never have to call them again. The warranty almost isn't worth it!
on November 23, 2016
We just bought this for our young son who had spent the last year testing the integrity of my wife's ipad air 2 case. She'll be happy to get her ipad back and I'll be happy knowing that Amazon's worry free kid warranty is covering this one. Now to the meat:
Three stars is a middling review for sure, but I really an happy so far, since this is such a good value. I can see upgrading to four stars later after the set up pain is behind me. More on that below. Technically it's better than you'd expect from a fifty dollar tablet. Not top of the line, but one tenth or less of the price of top of the line, and for a kid to play on is just fine. I will say the one clear place where they cut cost was on the cameras. My 2005 flip phone took less noisy pictures. Maybe in bright daylight they would be worth a hoot. Too bad for only one reason--my son loves taking my phone (and my real camera) and playing and playing photog. Mostly is just blurry feet and unintentional Dutch angles, but every once in a while he gets an interestingly framed capture. This tablet camera will let him play and explore, but we probably won't be submitting these pics to Flickr lately.
Set up wasn't impossible, but there are pitfalls. We have ipads, and I use android, but I was able to figure out how to get around the fire os and the freetime app pretty quickly for it being my first experience with either. That said, I doubt my parents would be so lucky. There are some nonintuitive steps for people unaccustomed with fearlessly banging away on touchscreens, especially with regard to controlling, adding, removing freetime content within the adult profile.
I had read in another review about a father's severe frustration with trying to remove the thousands of preloaded titles in freetime. It is all true. You must manually select every individual icon from a settings menu on the adult side. There is no "select all" or other shortcut. It takes forever, and it is necessary if you don't want to crash the tablet or run out of space immediately. Also without reading that review, and knowing I needed to go looking for this painful task, I might never have figured it out at all. The gist is that the freetime app which is the default environment when you set up initially has literally thousands of terrible book, game, and video titles displayed as icons on the home screens. They aren't installed though, not bloatware exactly, just there as bait. If you press any icon however, it begins downloading and installing automatically. Trouble is, it's that easy. So a child, especially a young one, would likely just start by pressing every icon in sight. Far better as a parent to start by whittling down the selections to, you know, less than a thousand apps of dubious quality to start with. So I went tryng to figure that out, did, and then was annoyed that they seemingly designed the software to make it harder to avoid than it could be. Simply adding a "Clear All" button in the settings menu would earn a while star on this review.
Also as an aside, I was disappointed that Amazon video or a version of it can't be added into the kids freetime profile. Or at least I could not get it to. The kid can navigate the full app on the iPad just fine--somehow he finds every truck video. It's a shame that the free and "Included with Prime" content isn't available on freetime.
Those gripes aside, this is a fantastic value for what it is, especially with holiday discounts.
Three stars is a middling review for sure, but I really an happy so far, since this is such a good value. I can see upgrading to four stars later after the set up pain is behind me. More on that below. Technically it's better than you'd expect from a fifty dollar tablet. Not top of the line, but one tenth or less of the price of top of the line, and for a kid to play on is just fine. I will say the one clear place where they cut cost was on the cameras. My 2005 flip phone took less noisy pictures. Maybe in bright daylight they would be worth a hoot. Too bad for only one reason--my son loves taking my phone (and my real camera) and playing and playing photog. Mostly is just blurry feet and unintentional Dutch angles, but every once in a while he gets an interestingly framed capture. This tablet camera will let him play and explore, but we probably won't be submitting these pics to Flickr lately.
Set up wasn't impossible, but there are pitfalls. We have ipads, and I use android, but I was able to figure out how to get around the fire os and the freetime app pretty quickly for it being my first experience with either. That said, I doubt my parents would be so lucky. There are some nonintuitive steps for people unaccustomed with fearlessly banging away on touchscreens, especially with regard to controlling, adding, removing freetime content within the adult profile.
I had read in another review about a father's severe frustration with trying to remove the thousands of preloaded titles in freetime. It is all true. You must manually select every individual icon from a settings menu on the adult side. There is no "select all" or other shortcut. It takes forever, and it is necessary if you don't want to crash the tablet or run out of space immediately. Also without reading that review, and knowing I needed to go looking for this painful task, I might never have figured it out at all. The gist is that the freetime app which is the default environment when you set up initially has literally thousands of terrible book, game, and video titles displayed as icons on the home screens. They aren't installed though, not bloatware exactly, just there as bait. If you press any icon however, it begins downloading and installing automatically. Trouble is, it's that easy. So a child, especially a young one, would likely just start by pressing every icon in sight. Far better as a parent to start by whittling down the selections to, you know, less than a thousand apps of dubious quality to start with. So I went tryng to figure that out, did, and then was annoyed that they seemingly designed the software to make it harder to avoid than it could be. Simply adding a "Clear All" button in the settings menu would earn a while star on this review.
Also as an aside, I was disappointed that Amazon video or a version of it can't be added into the kids freetime profile. Or at least I could not get it to. The kid can navigate the full app on the iPad just fine--somehow he finds every truck video. It's a shame that the free and "Included with Prime" content isn't available on freetime.
Those gripes aside, this is a fantastic value for what it is, especially with holiday discounts.
on November 26, 2016
I purchased three of the kids' bundles for my 4-year old, 10-year old, and 12-year old.
With the kids' bundle, you get the 16GB upgrade (normally +$20), no ads (normally +$15), and the 2-year replacement guarantee (normally +$18). So even if you're not going to use the rubber case or the FreeTime Unlimited, you're still getting ~$50 in extras for about $40. That's why I went ahead and opted for the kids' bundle for my older kids and probably should have for myself as well.
As a kids' tablet, I feel like Amazon was so close but still missed the mark, at least at my kids' ages.
For my 4-year old, the FreeTime interface is ok but the parent side of the FreeTime Unlimited leaves a lot to be desired. In the 4-6 age range, there is a TON of content available which is awesome but it's also overwhelming for a little one. I'd rather give her just a few books, videos, and apps, download and install them so they're ready to go, and rotate them periodically. The problem is that all that content is available by default and you have to "block" the things you want to remove. From the parent interface, you can't tell what content is approved for her specific age range so you're seeing ALL the FreeTime Unlimited content.
You can only manage the FreeTime Unlimited content from the tablet - not from your computer. So you're looking at these tiny little icons and blocking one thing at a time. There's no way to preview something or get more detail (unless you head over to your computer and look that item up on Amazon). So, for example, I see a Strawberry Shortcake app. I'm pretty sure Strawberry Shortcake isn't going to be anything objectionable but is it educational in any way or is it just fluff? There's no way to tell from the tablet.
I wound up opening my daughter's profile on her tablet and opening the FreeTime parent interface on my tablet. That way I could see what content was available to her and block the things I wanted to without having to deal with all the big kid content. When I saw something I was unfamiliar with, I looked it up on Amazon on the computer to get more information. It took hours for the initial setup.
Ideally, I should be able to open the parent interface and see what content has been selected for my child's age group. Then I should be able to approve all, block all, or add/remove individual items. I should also be able to see details for each item. Is this video one episode of Angelina Ballerina or a whole season or a full-length movie? Is this Frozen app a storybook or a coloring thing or a game or what? I should be able to go ahead and download and install the content so that it's ready to go when the child clicks on it. As it is, when the child clicks a book, video, or app, it has to download and install. So the child thinks it's not working and moves on to something else which also needs to download and install and on and on.
Amazon does regularly add new content to the FreeTime Unlimited catalog. That content is "allowed" by default. I picked up my daughter's Kindle one day and noticed a bunch of new videos and apps and games that I had not added. Even though I had blocked most of the FreeTime content, when new content was added, it was allowed by default. I would prefer to have the opportunity to approve or block the new content before it's added to her device.
So for a small child, I think Amazon's on the right track but not quite there. What about older kids?
For older kids, the timers and parental controls sound exciting but the FreeTime profile is a little too restrictive. You can enable the Silk browser but it's pre-programmed with all the websites that are "approved" for the 3-13 crowd. You have to specifically grant permission to each website you want to allow beyond the pre-programmed ones. You can't allow something like Google or Wikipedia.
You can share your Kindle books and videos and apps with your kids but not Newsstand or Music. No e-mail or calendars (our family uses shared Google Calendars to keep track of everybody's sports and scouts and school stuff). The kids can't customize their background and lock screen or personalize the tablet at all.
For the older kids, I wound up using the regular Kindle Fire parental controls to block purchases and set curfews and just let them use the "parent" profile on the device. They have the FreeTime Unlimited content for a year so if they want to flip over to that, they can. They've found some books they like in there and even though most of the videos are included with Prime anyway, they've discovered some things that they probably wouldn't have found on their own. I'm not particularly thrilled that they have access to ALL my books and music and all Prime video this way but it is what it is.
I use my Fire mostly as a reader and occasionally for music and videos and for that, it's great. For the few apps and games that my preschooler plays, the Fire is fine. The older kids want to use theirs primarily for apps and games and for that purpose, they'd prefer a regular Android device with the Play Store.
With the kids' bundle, you get the 16GB upgrade (normally +$20), no ads (normally +$15), and the 2-year replacement guarantee (normally +$18). So even if you're not going to use the rubber case or the FreeTime Unlimited, you're still getting ~$50 in extras for about $40. That's why I went ahead and opted for the kids' bundle for my older kids and probably should have for myself as well.
As a kids' tablet, I feel like Amazon was so close but still missed the mark, at least at my kids' ages.
For my 4-year old, the FreeTime interface is ok but the parent side of the FreeTime Unlimited leaves a lot to be desired. In the 4-6 age range, there is a TON of content available which is awesome but it's also overwhelming for a little one. I'd rather give her just a few books, videos, and apps, download and install them so they're ready to go, and rotate them periodically. The problem is that all that content is available by default and you have to "block" the things you want to remove. From the parent interface, you can't tell what content is approved for her specific age range so you're seeing ALL the FreeTime Unlimited content.
You can only manage the FreeTime Unlimited content from the tablet - not from your computer. So you're looking at these tiny little icons and blocking one thing at a time. There's no way to preview something or get more detail (unless you head over to your computer and look that item up on Amazon). So, for example, I see a Strawberry Shortcake app. I'm pretty sure Strawberry Shortcake isn't going to be anything objectionable but is it educational in any way or is it just fluff? There's no way to tell from the tablet.
I wound up opening my daughter's profile on her tablet and opening the FreeTime parent interface on my tablet. That way I could see what content was available to her and block the things I wanted to without having to deal with all the big kid content. When I saw something I was unfamiliar with, I looked it up on Amazon on the computer to get more information. It took hours for the initial setup.
Ideally, I should be able to open the parent interface and see what content has been selected for my child's age group. Then I should be able to approve all, block all, or add/remove individual items. I should also be able to see details for each item. Is this video one episode of Angelina Ballerina or a whole season or a full-length movie? Is this Frozen app a storybook or a coloring thing or a game or what? I should be able to go ahead and download and install the content so that it's ready to go when the child clicks on it. As it is, when the child clicks a book, video, or app, it has to download and install. So the child thinks it's not working and moves on to something else which also needs to download and install and on and on.
Amazon does regularly add new content to the FreeTime Unlimited catalog. That content is "allowed" by default. I picked up my daughter's Kindle one day and noticed a bunch of new videos and apps and games that I had not added. Even though I had blocked most of the FreeTime content, when new content was added, it was allowed by default. I would prefer to have the opportunity to approve or block the new content before it's added to her device.
So for a small child, I think Amazon's on the right track but not quite there. What about older kids?
For older kids, the timers and parental controls sound exciting but the FreeTime profile is a little too restrictive. You can enable the Silk browser but it's pre-programmed with all the websites that are "approved" for the 3-13 crowd. You have to specifically grant permission to each website you want to allow beyond the pre-programmed ones. You can't allow something like Google or Wikipedia.
You can share your Kindle books and videos and apps with your kids but not Newsstand or Music. No e-mail or calendars (our family uses shared Google Calendars to keep track of everybody's sports and scouts and school stuff). The kids can't customize their background and lock screen or personalize the tablet at all.
For the older kids, I wound up using the regular Kindle Fire parental controls to block purchases and set curfews and just let them use the "parent" profile on the device. They have the FreeTime Unlimited content for a year so if they want to flip over to that, they can. They've found some books they like in there and even though most of the videos are included with Prime anyway, they've discovered some things that they probably wouldn't have found on their own. I'm not particularly thrilled that they have access to ALL my books and music and all Prime video this way but it is what it is.
I use my Fire mostly as a reader and occasionally for music and videos and for that, it's great. For the few apps and games that my preschooler plays, the Fire is fine. The older kids want to use theirs primarily for apps and games and for that purpose, they'd prefer a regular Android device with the Play Store.
on February 21, 2017
The device itself has been great. My 4 year old has had this for a little over a year now and until recently has had no issues. She has been able to successfully navigate through the content and has really enjoyed the variety of apps available on the Kids Free Time section. Most seem to be very educational and age appropriate.
My issue however has been with the "worry free guarantee". I am finding that it is not so "worry free". A few weeks ago by daughters tablet began to freeze. Initially I was able to re-start the device and it would solve the problem. But after a few days of doing this, it continued to get worse so I called customer service. I spent over an HOUR on the phone with them trying to troubleshoot the thing, mostly doing restarts (which I had already done many times) and then finally a factory reset. They asked that I continue to use the device to see whether or not this would solve the issue and to call back if I continued to have problems and they would "immediately send me a new device" or so I was told at the time.
Fast forward two more weeks of struggling through the same freezing issues. I didn't have time to immediately call back as I am a busy working mom. When I finally did call back, I got a cocky customer service agent (with an accent so strong I could hardly understand him) instead of offering to send a new device like I was originally told. I was informed that I had to pack up and ship (at Amazons expense at least) the device back to them. They would either repair or replace the device. I was told this would take at least 5 business days. I'm sorry but telling my 4 year old that her beloved tablet has to be gone for over a week is not exactly "worry free". Nor was the unwelcome parenting advice given by the "customer service agent" when he tried to tell me what I should tell her about why it was going to be gone for a week. Thanks, but I can handle my daughter just fine, you just handle the device. He also kept telling me how this was a "win win" because I was going to get a new device or get mine repaired...a week later. It also irked me that he kept asking if it was "ok" if I sent mine in for repair or replacement...I asked if I had a choice, he just laughed. Why ask if it's ok, if I don't have a choice? No. it's not ok, I'd like a new device now, I would even take a refurbished one!
As cheap as Amazon sells the Fire Tablets (as low as $39) I don't understand why I have to jump through so many hoops to get this dang thing replaced (or repaired). I think in the future instead of spending $100 for the "kids version" it would be easier and less of a hassle to get the $39 version and just replace it myself if anything else happened to it. At least with my prime shipping I could have a new one in a day or two.
Not impressed with your "worry free" guarantee Amazon, or your customer service agent.
UPDATED: So, a week later I finally received a replacement (refurbished) device. I guess after all that they weren't able to "repair" the other one after all. I am still highly irritated that Amazon advertises their "worry free guarantee" saying "they break it we replace it no questions asked", when in fact they ask tons of questions and made me jump through multiple hoops over the course of a month to get to this point. However, I am glad we FINALLY have a new (refurbished) device that seems to be working so far.
My issue however has been with the "worry free guarantee". I am finding that it is not so "worry free". A few weeks ago by daughters tablet began to freeze. Initially I was able to re-start the device and it would solve the problem. But after a few days of doing this, it continued to get worse so I called customer service. I spent over an HOUR on the phone with them trying to troubleshoot the thing, mostly doing restarts (which I had already done many times) and then finally a factory reset. They asked that I continue to use the device to see whether or not this would solve the issue and to call back if I continued to have problems and they would "immediately send me a new device" or so I was told at the time.
Fast forward two more weeks of struggling through the same freezing issues. I didn't have time to immediately call back as I am a busy working mom. When I finally did call back, I got a cocky customer service agent (with an accent so strong I could hardly understand him) instead of offering to send a new device like I was originally told. I was informed that I had to pack up and ship (at Amazons expense at least) the device back to them. They would either repair or replace the device. I was told this would take at least 5 business days. I'm sorry but telling my 4 year old that her beloved tablet has to be gone for over a week is not exactly "worry free". Nor was the unwelcome parenting advice given by the "customer service agent" when he tried to tell me what I should tell her about why it was going to be gone for a week. Thanks, but I can handle my daughter just fine, you just handle the device. He also kept telling me how this was a "win win" because I was going to get a new device or get mine repaired...a week later. It also irked me that he kept asking if it was "ok" if I sent mine in for repair or replacement...I asked if I had a choice, he just laughed. Why ask if it's ok, if I don't have a choice? No. it's not ok, I'd like a new device now, I would even take a refurbished one!
As cheap as Amazon sells the Fire Tablets (as low as $39) I don't understand why I have to jump through so many hoops to get this dang thing replaced (or repaired). I think in the future instead of spending $100 for the "kids version" it would be easier and less of a hassle to get the $39 version and just replace it myself if anything else happened to it. At least with my prime shipping I could have a new one in a day or two.
Not impressed with your "worry free" guarantee Amazon, or your customer service agent.
UPDATED: So, a week later I finally received a replacement (refurbished) device. I guess after all that they weren't able to "repair" the other one after all. I am still highly irritated that Amazon advertises their "worry free guarantee" saying "they break it we replace it no questions asked", when in fact they ask tons of questions and made me jump through multiple hoops over the course of a month to get to this point. However, I am glad we FINALLY have a new (refurbished) device that seems to be working so far.
on March 14, 2016
We've owned two of these tablets for three months as of this review, so I have a fairly good notion of the problems at this point.
First off, the display, battery life, charging time, and responsiveness are all high points.
My chief complaint is the storage. Actually, storage/OS issues constitute pretty much all my complaints.
First, 8GB (which shows up as a pitiful *** 5.63 GB *** of *usable* space! (Seriously? In what file system do you lose a full 30% of the advertised storage right off the bat!???)) is simply too little device storage for a tablet released in 2015, especially when that memory is "shared" between the Android OS, the RAM allocation, and all the apps that cannot be moved over to the SD card. The OS itself eats 1.3GB of that 5.63, leaving us with 4.33GB to split between RAM, desired apps, and bloatware. It's just straight-up inadequate. It might be OK if you actually got a true 8GB of usable space, or if there were some dedicated RAM so that the rest of the memory were purely for app/data storage. However, that's sadly not the case.
Second, the way the storage is managed between profiles is abysmal. If an app is, say, 500 MB, you would think that storing it ONCE would be sufficient. But, not so. If there are 3 user profiles who each have access to the app, this wonky OS apparently stores (or at least, counts) the app 3 times. Furthermore, NO view, not even when logged in as the master user, gives you an actual "master view" of the device's entire file storage system so that you can get a clear picture of what is being stored. You can only view the storage user profile by user profile. This makes it maddeningly frustrating and overly complicated to administer.
Third, all the affiliated bloatware that you can't get rid of. An example: WPS Office for Amazon? Why would I need that on a tablet predominantly used by my toddler? Yet it's taking up a whopping 67MB and I CAN'T DELETE IT. Thanks, Amazon! Silk Browser is another 113MB that I don't need right now. But can I get rid of it? Nope. Do my kids need a 158MB Kindle reader app? News Stand? Goodreads? I doubt it. But that hardly matters, does it? So that's cutting even further into my 4.33GB because these don't count as System Files, they count as "Apps". Involuntarily stored, but apps nonetheless.
Fourth, the horribly inept lack of intelligent, automated use of the external storage cards further exacerbate the storage issue. Why isn't there a setting to automatically move any apps that CAN be moved to the SD card? Why do I have to hunt them down 1 by 1 and move them manually? And why do they periodically move back to the device when they update? Why aren't the "Books" automatically downloaded to the SD Card instead of to device storage? For that matter, why aren't ALL apps on the Amazon Store required to take advantage of using external storage as much as possible?
Fifth, junk, junk, junk. I have to run CleanSweep at least weekly, or else garbage files clog the entire device and WiFi shuts off. I don't know, and I shouldn't have to know, whether it's a specific app that's the culprit, or just poor memory management / garbage collection by the OS itself, or a combination thereof. CleanSweep seems to think that a lot of the garbage files are from failed automatic updates that didn't clear the downloaded install files. That is not something an end user of a polished product should have to contend with. It's very disappointing to have to play janitor for a tablet engineered to be used by little kids.
Don't get me wrong; my kids have a blast on these, and they get the "job" done most of the time (except when WiFi shuts off due to *AHEM* storage issues.) But for all the hype around FreeTime, and for how cheap storage is these days, I expected better and more clear device management than Amazon was able to come up with here. While overall I am satisfied with these tablets, I remain dissatisfied with how much effort is required to keep them from overclogging with storage issues.
I hereby challenge Amazon to update their OS and ecosystem, and rally their contributing developers to improve upon what they've got here. It's a nice start, but it's not there yet.
First off, the display, battery life, charging time, and responsiveness are all high points.
My chief complaint is the storage. Actually, storage/OS issues constitute pretty much all my complaints.
First, 8GB (which shows up as a pitiful *** 5.63 GB *** of *usable* space! (Seriously? In what file system do you lose a full 30% of the advertised storage right off the bat!???)) is simply too little device storage for a tablet released in 2015, especially when that memory is "shared" between the Android OS, the RAM allocation, and all the apps that cannot be moved over to the SD card. The OS itself eats 1.3GB of that 5.63, leaving us with 4.33GB to split between RAM, desired apps, and bloatware. It's just straight-up inadequate. It might be OK if you actually got a true 8GB of usable space, or if there were some dedicated RAM so that the rest of the memory were purely for app/data storage. However, that's sadly not the case.
Second, the way the storage is managed between profiles is abysmal. If an app is, say, 500 MB, you would think that storing it ONCE would be sufficient. But, not so. If there are 3 user profiles who each have access to the app, this wonky OS apparently stores (or at least, counts) the app 3 times. Furthermore, NO view, not even when logged in as the master user, gives you an actual "master view" of the device's entire file storage system so that you can get a clear picture of what is being stored. You can only view the storage user profile by user profile. This makes it maddeningly frustrating and overly complicated to administer.
Third, all the affiliated bloatware that you can't get rid of. An example: WPS Office for Amazon? Why would I need that on a tablet predominantly used by my toddler? Yet it's taking up a whopping 67MB and I CAN'T DELETE IT. Thanks, Amazon! Silk Browser is another 113MB that I don't need right now. But can I get rid of it? Nope. Do my kids need a 158MB Kindle reader app? News Stand? Goodreads? I doubt it. But that hardly matters, does it? So that's cutting even further into my 4.33GB because these don't count as System Files, they count as "Apps". Involuntarily stored, but apps nonetheless.
Fourth, the horribly inept lack of intelligent, automated use of the external storage cards further exacerbate the storage issue. Why isn't there a setting to automatically move any apps that CAN be moved to the SD card? Why do I have to hunt them down 1 by 1 and move them manually? And why do they periodically move back to the device when they update? Why aren't the "Books" automatically downloaded to the SD Card instead of to device storage? For that matter, why aren't ALL apps on the Amazon Store required to take advantage of using external storage as much as possible?
Fifth, junk, junk, junk. I have to run CleanSweep at least weekly, or else garbage files clog the entire device and WiFi shuts off. I don't know, and I shouldn't have to know, whether it's a specific app that's the culprit, or just poor memory management / garbage collection by the OS itself, or a combination thereof. CleanSweep seems to think that a lot of the garbage files are from failed automatic updates that didn't clear the downloaded install files. That is not something an end user of a polished product should have to contend with. It's very disappointing to have to play janitor for a tablet engineered to be used by little kids.
Don't get me wrong; my kids have a blast on these, and they get the "job" done most of the time (except when WiFi shuts off due to *AHEM* storage issues.) But for all the hype around FreeTime, and for how cheap storage is these days, I expected better and more clear device management than Amazon was able to come up with here. While overall I am satisfied with these tablets, I remain dissatisfied with how much effort is required to keep them from overclogging with storage issues.
I hereby challenge Amazon to update their OS and ecosystem, and rally their contributing developers to improve upon what they've got here. It's a nice start, but it's not there yet.
on November 28, 2015
The kid Edition package is great... However, before I purchased two kid editions kindles for my grandkids I own a regular kindle fire with FreeTime I subscribed to prior to my purchase. Because I purchased the items under my Amazon account it has merged all three kindles together. This is very confusing to my grandkids and very frustrating to me as well because my account information is available at will. I need to purchase one more for Christmas but I think I will have to use a dummy account so it will not merge in with the others. The merger causes the downloads to be very slow, it causes a lot of freezing a waiting when my grandkids should be enjoying the app, books and movies that are available.
on December 20, 2016
I'm going to try to post here, as the process for "providing feedback" on customer service is ludicrous at best. Up front, I would give the device 5 stars for what it is (inexpensive tablet primarily focused on reading and entertainment at a bargain price). I give customer service 1 star.
I will say I absolutely love the Kindle Fire. I have one for every member of my family, and at the price haven't found anything to complain about. For reading books, quick web browsing, basic apps, Netflix and (of course) Prime video, everything is quite satisfying at least while it's working. I even bought them for my kids (the Kindle Fire Kids Edition) which is great, right up until something goes wrong with one and now I'm trying to use the "Worry Free No Questions Asked Guarantee".
So far I am very unimpressed with Amazon's customer service, with the exception of the actual "front line troops" who seem to do well, but get the brunt of the customer frustrations. First of all, finding out HOW to contact customer service is like diving into a corn maze. I click on Manage My Devices, great .. it shows my devices, but when it comes to a problem, I got sent through loops 3 times at the site before I finally got to something that said "Call or Email". First, I got to the Device Warranty page. Lots of fine print, a message in the middle called "instructions" that says look below for details on how to contact service. Look below, nothing but a mailing address (not what I want first!). I try clicking links, they just seem to bring me back to the same information. Finally, right under the link for "Ask the Kindle Community" I see the button for "Contact Us" (which I thought at first was a button to the "Community" link). I click the button, select my device with problems, make a selection, and finally get information for talking to someone.
The representatives I have talked to so far have been easy to understand, seem very helpful, and honestly seem to be trying to solve the problem. Up to the point where the device that failed arrived at the "Warranty Service Center" (under the two year "worry free" Kindle Fire Kids Edition warranty, no less). Everything appeared fine; the site says (and still says today on December 20th) :
"We're replacing your device
We’ve decided that the best way to service your device is to simply replace it. We’re on track to have your device back to you by December 19."
Today, after realizing the site STILL says this, but also says "Device still at Amazon", I thought it might be a good idea to attempt to contact customer service again and see if there's a shipping problem. The same search for "how to contact us", but now my device with a problem no longer shows up on the list of devices after selecting "Contact Us"! I finally select "other device", get back to the prompt to have Customer Service call, and do so. A very pleasant lady took my call, discussed the issue with me, reviewed the record and said she would transfer me to the appropriate party. After a LONG delay on hold, the same lady came back and said that she was told the device replacement would be unavailable until after the first of the year. I don't blame her, but she was left to be the "messenger" rather than having the fulfillment representative give me this message directly. Again, I will point out under Devices it STILL says (several hours later) that my device is "on track to be back by December 19).
Just out of curiosity, I went to the Amazon home page, where a LARGE DISPLAY ad shows the Kindle Fire for $49.99 $39.99 (yes, the strikethrough is intentional, as it mimics what is on the ad) right at the top of the home page. I click on the ad, and sure enough, the Kindle Fire is In Stock and available BEFORE CHRISTMAS. (And yes, I'm a Prime member so that spells "before Christmas with free shipping"). Just to make sure, I select the 16 GB version (the version I am supposed to have replaced) and it also shows In Stock. To be very fair, I also check the Kindle Fire Kids Edition, which interestingly enough is In Stock for EVERY COLOR OF CASE except the one that I ordered back in July, and that particular one shows available by December 28th. (Note, with the warranty replacement they say they are not replacing everything, just the device itself ... they had me keep the cover and cord for the replacement device). Now why every single selection of Kindle Fire except the exact one that I ordered in July shows available seems more than a bit odd. Either they are giving all other shoppers incorrect information, or it seems that warranty service is second class err place ...
Amazon, please stick by your loyal customers. I've been an Amazon shopper (starting with books, e-books, etc) for many years. I've been a Prime member since almost when the Prime program came out. I have recommended Amazon to others many times, and also have HIGHLY recommended the Kindle Fire (and Kids Fire) to many people. Unfortunately, an incident like this is making me bitter. It's not like Amazon can blame the actual vendor in this case, since Amazon IS the vendor!
I work in the software industry, and have worked in the computer industry for decades. I understand fulfillment issues, hardware availability, software issues, etc. What I don't agree with is customer service that hangs the "tier 1" responder out to dry as the messenger and provides poor communication to the customer. I'm normally a very patient person, but not when it comes to providing misleading answers and poor response to the people who are the main part of your business: the customer.
I will say I absolutely love the Kindle Fire. I have one for every member of my family, and at the price haven't found anything to complain about. For reading books, quick web browsing, basic apps, Netflix and (of course) Prime video, everything is quite satisfying at least while it's working. I even bought them for my kids (the Kindle Fire Kids Edition) which is great, right up until something goes wrong with one and now I'm trying to use the "Worry Free No Questions Asked Guarantee".
So far I am very unimpressed with Amazon's customer service, with the exception of the actual "front line troops" who seem to do well, but get the brunt of the customer frustrations. First of all, finding out HOW to contact customer service is like diving into a corn maze. I click on Manage My Devices, great .. it shows my devices, but when it comes to a problem, I got sent through loops 3 times at the site before I finally got to something that said "Call or Email". First, I got to the Device Warranty page. Lots of fine print, a message in the middle called "instructions" that says look below for details on how to contact service. Look below, nothing but a mailing address (not what I want first!). I try clicking links, they just seem to bring me back to the same information. Finally, right under the link for "Ask the Kindle Community" I see the button for "Contact Us" (which I thought at first was a button to the "Community" link). I click the button, select my device with problems, make a selection, and finally get information for talking to someone.
The representatives I have talked to so far have been easy to understand, seem very helpful, and honestly seem to be trying to solve the problem. Up to the point where the device that failed arrived at the "Warranty Service Center" (under the two year "worry free" Kindle Fire Kids Edition warranty, no less). Everything appeared fine; the site says (and still says today on December 20th) :
"We're replacing your device
We’ve decided that the best way to service your device is to simply replace it. We’re on track to have your device back to you by December 19."
Today, after realizing the site STILL says this, but also says "Device still at Amazon", I thought it might be a good idea to attempt to contact customer service again and see if there's a shipping problem. The same search for "how to contact us", but now my device with a problem no longer shows up on the list of devices after selecting "Contact Us"! I finally select "other device", get back to the prompt to have Customer Service call, and do so. A very pleasant lady took my call, discussed the issue with me, reviewed the record and said she would transfer me to the appropriate party. After a LONG delay on hold, the same lady came back and said that she was told the device replacement would be unavailable until after the first of the year. I don't blame her, but she was left to be the "messenger" rather than having the fulfillment representative give me this message directly. Again, I will point out under Devices it STILL says (several hours later) that my device is "on track to be back by December 19).
Just out of curiosity, I went to the Amazon home page, where a LARGE DISPLAY ad shows the Kindle Fire for $49.99 $39.99 (yes, the strikethrough is intentional, as it mimics what is on the ad) right at the top of the home page. I click on the ad, and sure enough, the Kindle Fire is In Stock and available BEFORE CHRISTMAS. (And yes, I'm a Prime member so that spells "before Christmas with free shipping"). Just to make sure, I select the 16 GB version (the version I am supposed to have replaced) and it also shows In Stock. To be very fair, I also check the Kindle Fire Kids Edition, which interestingly enough is In Stock for EVERY COLOR OF CASE except the one that I ordered back in July, and that particular one shows available by December 28th. (Note, with the warranty replacement they say they are not replacing everything, just the device itself ... they had me keep the cover and cord for the replacement device). Now why every single selection of Kindle Fire except the exact one that I ordered in July shows available seems more than a bit odd. Either they are giving all other shoppers incorrect information, or it seems that warranty service is second class err place ...
Amazon, please stick by your loyal customers. I've been an Amazon shopper (starting with books, e-books, etc) for many years. I've been a Prime member since almost when the Prime program came out. I have recommended Amazon to others many times, and also have HIGHLY recommended the Kindle Fire (and Kids Fire) to many people. Unfortunately, an incident like this is making me bitter. It's not like Amazon can blame the actual vendor in this case, since Amazon IS the vendor!
I work in the software industry, and have worked in the computer industry for decades. I understand fulfillment issues, hardware availability, software issues, etc. What I don't agree with is customer service that hangs the "tier 1" responder out to dry as the messenger and provides poor communication to the customer. I'm normally a very patient person, but not when it comes to providing misleading answers and poor response to the people who are the main part of your business: the customer.
on December 15, 2015
I had a Kindle HD 8.9" which I was very happy with. My 3 year old has been using it for a year or so and it never caused a problem. When the charging port started to have problems connecting, I decided to upgrade him to a new kindle. I got the kids version. I hate it. When he clicks apps or games it brings up a whole screen of things that aren't downloaded. So he can't actually access them for several minutes. And it is SO SLOW. Being that it's 2015, and this is not the first couple versions of the kindle fire, I would expect the hardware to be a little higher quality. I like the case though. That's probably the only thing it has going for it....
