New toy! (Not that you guys would care)

"If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent" (essextee)
11/02/2018 at 18:50 • Filed to: None

Had a Kindle Fire years ago that I loved but never replaced it when it broke. Now that I have spare cash it’s getting a replacement! This might actually take over for my laptop for daily use since most of my gaming is on Switch nowadays.

DISCUSSION (11)

facw > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/02/2018 at 19:25

Out of curiosity , what did you like about the Samsung vs. getting a newer Fire?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > facw
11/02/2018 at 19:35

Even though FireOS is Android based, you don’t have access to the Play store. Amazon forces you to use their app store, which only contains Amazon approved apps. That does not include Google products like Gmail, Chrome, and Google Docs.

I will miss the Kindle integration though. Rather than being a separate e-reader app to open and then navigate inside of, you can launch recently read books right from your home screen.

I’m also very familiar with Samsung devices already, as that’s what I buy for phones. It’s a known quantity, vs buying from a brand I’ve never tried before.

This particular model is also usb-c, which is nice because that's what my phone is so I only have to keep one type of charger around.

facw > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/02/2018 at 19:42

I have the Play S tore on my Fire HD 10 (Ssh! don’t tell Google! ;) ). The Fire Tablets allow sideloading, so you can get the Google apps on there ( Google was making noise about cracking down, though I think their target was non-name Chinese manufacturers rather than end users). T here’s also always a risk that either Amazon or Google could push an update that breaks things, even though they work now .

I’d imagine the Samsung will work nicely as an e-reader though, there’s nothing horrible about the Kindle Android app from what I’ve seen.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > facw
11/02/2018 at 19:47

I did end up side-loading my Google apps but then they don’t update on their own which is annoying, and who knows how much you can trust those APK download sites anyway.

(Reread my original reply, I think you responded while I was editing it to add more info)

Longtime Lurker > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/02/2018 at 20:00

Nice! Tab A correct? I’m actually trying to buy a Tab S3 right now but they raised the price before I had the gift cards to buy it, so I’m waiting for a sale.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Longtime Lurker
11/02/2018 at 20:06

Yup. Tab A. My phone is a Galaxy A so it’s a nice bit of symmetry.

I wasn't going to get it but then evil evil evil eBay notified me that the price had dropped by $30.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/02/2018 at 20:34

My second Gen Nexus 7 is still kicking after 4 years of use. Best Android device I've ever had by far. And I had picked it up for only $100 from a Staples sale. I've gone through many shitty Android phones in the mean time, usually about one per year. But it's still more cost effective than something expensive and the Nexus still operates well enough to make me happy when at home. I've mostly stopped using a laptop at home entirely since then. Tablets do not seem to be all that common though.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/02/2018 at 20:51

I usually buy $300 phones and I get a good two years out of them. I’ve only ever tried two non-Samsung devices (LG & HTC) and they were just awful no good squares of regret. Mostly because of the screens. Samsung’s Super-AMOLEDS just can’t be beat.

A tablet makes sense for me because I do travel and make overnight trips semi frequently. Any time I go anywhere it's an hour and a half on the ferry round trip. Not quite enough to justify bringing my laptop but a tablet makes sense.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/03/2018 at 00:39

This is why I like my ~$60 POS Samsung. It’s got an SD slot and more than 1gb of ram. The camera is my only real complaint but I could buy like 2 every year and come out ahead. This one has made it to the one year mark and hasn’t had any real issues yet though. Cheapo phones are 1000x better than they used to be!

Same reason I enjoy my tablet. I fly a lot and it's perfect for the tray table and the battery easily lasts through any domestic flight playing nonstop with low brightness. International I have to rely on a recharge or hope the seat back has something to add into the mix. But it's way better than dealing with a laptop on the plane for sure.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/03/2018 at 08:57

I have an A5. Samsung doesn’t officially sell the Galaxy A line in the U.S. but you can order them on Amazon. They’re slotted in below the S series, with comparable specs for half the price. Mine has 3gig RAM, 32gb internal w/ SD slot, and a great camera.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/03/2018 at 10:51

Hmm that sounds much better than my junker! SD slot is my number one requirement and it's a shame that those have gone away in many brands. It's also annoying that phones smaller than 5 inches are rare too. I wish there were midrange tiny phones.