Original Kindle Fire owner here:

As a Kindle for reading books, it's great. Certain apps (limited due to it not using Android market) are great. Browsing any webpage? Awful experience. Youtube? Annoying, because you are stuck using the crappy browser instead of a dedicated Youtube app. I would like it much better if Amazon didn't fight so hard to keep Google anything off of it. After using my brother's Nexus tablet, I wanted to cry going back to it.

It is definitely annoying, however you can side-load the latest YouTube apk (you also need "Google Services" apk if you want to be able to log into your account), making the original Kindle Fire a pretty good YouTube machine. The YouTube app serves up the 720p stream even though the screen is slightly smaller, and it looks very nice and crisp.

I disagree when it comes to reading books, though. My Kindle Paperwhite, and even the Kindle2 before that, are superior reading devices. The Fire is a decent video/games device, but the only reason I use it in preference to the Nexus7 is to get access to Amazon Prime streaming.

For what its worth, you can side load APKs on an unlocked Kindle just like any other Android device. Obviously that still doesn't get around not having access to Google's own apps like Gmail though.

I also have the original kindle fire onto which I have installed a custom ROM of Android 4.1. I am quite happy with it although I do wish it had a microphone.

These reviews are really helpful.

Many reviews in the popular press ignore the overall experience and focus on minor technical differences (e.g. a tenth of an inch difference in thickness). Reviews focusing on the overall experience are on order of magnitude more useful than the "list of specifications" review.

Good review, but I thought the bit about the back button was strange:

There's also a Back button (and a Forward button, when applicable). The entire platform's usability is much enhanced by the universal nature of this Back button. Consider this typical scenario:

You're reading an email message that contains a link to an article on a website. You click the link and read the article. You now want to return to continue reading the email message. Now what? In most systems, you have to close the web browser and find your own way back to the email program, hoping that it still displays the message as you left it. With the universal Back button, you simply click Back, just as you would when you tire of a web page. Backtracking works across applications, as it certainly should, because that's how users think.

This really only seems to be true if compared against iOS. But pretty much everything else on the planet supports some way of getting back to where you started, even if it involves launching another application then simply switching tasks back to where you were (e.g. Windows or OS X).

Isn't that what "find your own way back to the email program, hoping that it still displays the message as you left it" means?

Sorry, I probably should have focused it more on this

"In most systems, you have to close the web browser and find your own way back to the email program..."

which isn't really a true statement other than iOS.

"the $199 Kindle Fire HD 7-inch offers much better value than getting the $329 iPad Mini, unless you need an app that's only available on the latter."

this sentance made me want to rush out and buy one, but I'm curious on how it compares to the also $199 Nexus 7...?

it seems like the nexus 7 is still a much better option.

It's all about ecosystem, if you have an Amazon Prime account you get the best experience with the Kindle Fire, if you want a more general use tablet with direct updates from Google go for the Nexus 7.

Kindle FreeTime Unlimited for kids seems like a home run for Amazon that Google won't be able to match. (Basically unlimited content for $3/month/kid + $80/year for Amazon Prime which includes lots of other Kindle bonuses.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?&docId=1000863021

My only reservation is the extra work required to get Google Apps (specifically Google+ Hangouts) up and running.

The FreeTime program is what got a KF in the door of our all-Apple household. As far as I'm concerned, this makes it THE toy for families.

Is any of of this available outside the US?

This is sort of off-topic, but you'd also go for the Nexus 7 if you lived in a country that wasn't serviced by Amazon.

Canada, for instance. I moved to the US (from Canada) over 10 years ago, and even then one of the small things that occured to me during the move was that I could use Amazon.com. Amazon's odd treatment of Canada still baffles me to this day (I suppose there's some bureaucratic paperwork blocking things). Amazon Prime doesn't work in Canada, and Kindle tablets aren't even sold there.

I find it odd that I can drive a few hours and end up in a country that feels like a technological backwater (e.g., Netflix, Amazon, 3-year mobile contracts, etc.) compared to the US.

I also found the Fire HD's sound and screen a bit nicer, but not enough to overwhelm the ecosystem choice, which matters more on a daily basis.

Though, frankly, if you care about ecosystem and have had an iOS device before, you'll probably feel pretty let down with either device unless you have _very_ mainstream app interests.

As a Nexus 7 user, those direct updates from Google aren't much of a selling point. https://www.google.com/search?q=nexus+7+4.2+problems

If your main concern is media, the Fire will better suit you (no Prime Video, no Kindle Library, etc. on Android and Google Play still has a ways to catch up); otherwise IMHO the Nexus 7 has the better build, better software, and better app selection. The Nexus 7 has a 3G option as well if you're looking for that, where the 7" Fire doesn't.

The Nexus is still superior all around. The only thing it is missing is Amazon Prime video - the Kindle app works just fine on it. I think Netflix and MX Player to play local videos more than makes up for that, especially considering Amazon Prime video just doesn't have a lot to offer.

That and it plays more nicely with the rest of the Android ecosystem, it's not even close. I could not recommend the Fire HD over the Nexus 7.

I think Amazon Prime video works on the Nexus 7 with Firebox beta and the Flash plugin.

I got a Fire HD last week. I'm usually forgiving of devices but I haven't been impressed. The form factor is slightly nicer than the iPad Mini but in terms of the user experience/usability it's not a patch on the iPad. The screen is high res but surprisingly 'glary' in comparison (enough so I have to read white on black or the text seems to shimmer).

Pretty stunning, however, is the sound (the best quality I've heard on such a small device) and the picture quality for video. So as a general purpose tablet for a light user, I'd recommend it. But if you have the money, the iPad is better. And if you just want to read, the Kindle Paperwhite is miles better.

The Fire really only wins if you want an all in one that's cheaper than an iPad and you're not fussy about UX, but perhaps I underestimate the value of it being a great video playing device as I don't tend to watch any video other than YouTube (and YouTube is not very good on the Fire HD).

Anything's better than the original Kindle Fire.