Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB – Includes Special Offers [Previous Generation]

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

1. 

   jb – February 24, 2025

   The Kindle Fire HD brings Revolutionary Change to Reading Technology!
   I read most of the critical remarks about the Kindle Fire HD like the petty complaints of friends on dating sites: everybody has their expectations, and they criticize the product not so much for what it is, but more for what it isn’t. Who really cares if the Fire HD is a gram heaver or lighter than the competition, a millisecond faster or slower, a micron thinner or fatter?Think of it: for a mere $199 dollars, you get extraordinary access and power. The Kindle Fire is elegant, the screen is stupendous, the sound is better than on any laptop computer I have ever owned. Skype works flawlessly. The Kindle Fire HD is just pure incandescent joy.I have worked with Apple iPads for years, and I bought this Fire HD expecting that the size would be too small for my needs, and that I would pass it on to my son when the larger format is released. Size is no longer an issue. AFter just 2 days with my Fire HD, I find the iPad to be large and clunky. Moreover, you add Amazon Prime with their incredible library of 180,000 free titles, and tens of thousands of movies and tv shows streaming free, as well as rental films. As a result, every corner of my house and yard are now potential places to escape. I fully intend to get a Fire HD for every member of my family.ADDED ON 9/15/2012: Many reviewers on this site claim that the Kindle Fire HD does not support Flash. This is NOT TRUE. I ran YouTube flawlessly just by using the browser, going to YouTube, and watching films. You do not need any special Apps.As for me?At 53, my eyes do not focus on small print as well as they once did, and as a writer and avid reader, I mainly got the Fire HD as a reader. Last night, I spent the entire evening reading away from my computer for the first time in years. I had forgotten how disappointing it is to rely on NEWS SUMMARIES and media clearing houses like Google News for current events. I rediscovered the joy of reading in-depth news reports–consuming from cover to cover for the first time in years both Newsweek and Time. Other titles and subscriptions are sure to follow, and for Amazon that is the point: to transform the reader’s experience into something joyful and always reliable.Besides all the on-line media we know and love, I add unpublished manuscripts, papers, articles, digital books of friends and colleagues. For fun I dumped one of my own publications into both Word and Adobe Acrobat and transferred it to the Fire HD. With Open Office, Word immediately read flawlessly, and it was just a 30 second download to add Adobe Acrobat Reader for Kindle. And everything you read can be reformatted in size or style with a screen pinch.As a writer, I am beginning to sense the power of the new technology to transform publishing as we know it. The Kindle Fire HD offers special context sensitive technologies that assist readers of all ages: tap on a word, and a dictionary offers my 10-year-old son a definition. Feeling lazy, or just learning to read? Close your eyes and let the text-to-speech program kick in. Want a real experience? Read for a while, and then let the professional reader on Audible continue to read while–say–you drive to work, or pick up the kids. I recommend the Harry Potter series! Believe me, you have not read Harry Potter until you listen to Jim Dale’s version.As a scholar, I see so many other possibilities here: My colleagues and I can collaborate on a rare manuscript digitized for our work, then agree on a transcription, then a translation. While most readers of the ebook might never go beyond the English or other language translation, at any moment any reader could look to see the original digital manuscript, or check the transcription.Such technology facilitates education both as a teaching tool, but also as a learning and study and research tool for all of us. And the best part? We no longer have to worry about the sustainability of the market to justify bringing such texts to press: ebooks have no intrinsic overhead costs. And subsequent editions are likewise free to redact and upgrade.At such low cost, the Kindle Fire is a platform available to all of us. And at just 54 bucks for a full parts and labor warranty for two years–including three NEW REPLACEMENTS if your Kindle breaks, this is a platform for EVERYONE, young and old. I have always been apprehensive to put my 600 dollar ipad into my children’s hands. I do not feel the same way about Kindle Fire HD.If you have been waiting to buy, wait no more: Kindle Fire HD is an outstanding value that will transform the reading experience for all of us.

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2. 

   L Miller – February 24, 2025

   A great tablet in a handy size
   I’ve had Kindle for PC for about 5 years. I thought people who pay for a Kindle with e ink or touch screen or whatever were nuts. Kindle on my laptop is so much easier on the eyes. A friend loaned me her 2 year old Kindle Fire with ads for me to use a few months during a long recovery from surgery. It came with a month’s free trial of Amazon Prime. I discovered that owning a Kindle has its advantages. I could download free music, apps and games (not a good idea. They’re addictive time wasters, but fun). With Prime there were even free videos, tough I didn’t try those until later.It became clear I’d better look for my own Kindle Fire and give this friend her Kindle back, so I cruised Amazon for pricing. Since I was using a perfectly fine used 7″ KF with ads, I saw no reason to buy new. Money’s tight.I tried to order a few offers for $74 or $80, but by the time I reached checkout the deal was gone. Looked into the differences between KF and KF HD, and figured I was happy enough with KF 7″. The sound was fine. The display was fine. But I couldn’t get a decent price. Took a break and figured I’d have to go back to my laptop Kindle app, until I happened on an offer for a gently used KF HD 7″ for a reasonable price. It didn’t have a cord or a charger, but it had a soft case. I bought and have used it happily 3 months. I decided to get the HD model because of a well reasoned review of the HD compared with the iPad and other Kindle models.For a week I had two Kindle Fire units-one earlier model and one HD. The standard display was fine. The KF HD display was excellent. The sound was good on both units, if a little better on the HD. I’ve never found the ads to be a nuisance. In fact the HD ads are gorgeous. Sound is subdued. I tried enhancing it with a KF speaker peripheral someone gave me. Doesn’t make any difference. Sound is clear of static, and volume is adequate on the unit itself. Bought a hard case like the one I’d liked on my friend’s borrowed KF. Used, it cost $3. It’s great. Both units are easier to operate with a stylus. The T9 prescriptive text is a chore to get used to. But for music, movies, soundtracks and of course books, this Kindle Fire is great. It’s easier to use than the iPads I’ve played with and way cheaper. Try and find an iPad for under $140. Not happening unless you mess with those freaky auction sites claiming you can get an iPad for $28 or something like that.A few other things to know: the ‘fast’ charger isn’t any faster than the regular chargers on offer. My Kindle Fire charges in about 4 hours. It holds a charge in continuous use for 6. Some other chargers may be advertised for use with Kindle Fire, but plugged in, they give an error message “weak charge.” Toss them or return them and get a working charger. Use a stylus and you don’t need a screen cover. You don’t have finger prints on screen. Most reviews of those complain about how hard they are to aapply, how they cut glare but dim brightness and clarity. Why buy HD and bank it’s fire with a glare filter? If you’re outside, play outside, enjoy the fun. Don’t whip out an e-reader to watch a movie or read. That’s indoor fun, rainy day fun. Bring a paperback to the beach. If it gets wet or sandy, who Cares? Use some sense.Only problems I’ve experienced are with Amazon Prime. Where I live they can’t really honor their pledge for faster delivery. They can give you ‘free’ delivery- for $89/year. I tried Prime because it offered a video I long wanted to see ‘free.’ It wasn’t. Prime is only worth the cost because of the free videos and you don’t have to find enough product to make a $25 free shipping order. Not all Prime book offerings are in fact Prime (with free shipping). Until I got the Kindle Fire HD, I didn’t see how I could benefit much from Amazon Prime. Since then, I’ve used its privileges a lot. But I check over the order carefully before checking outSo if you don’t need great HD graphics, the Kindle Fire is your best bet. If you try the Kindle Fire HD, you won’t want to send it back.

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