I’m a huge fan of the Kindle reading device.  When they were first introduced I didn’t see much use in them but once I decided to take the leap of picking one up everything changed.  I was a late adopter as it took me more than a year to pick up one of the reading devices.  Now I pretty much carry my Kindle everywhere.

So, in just over two weeks Amazon.com is about to unleash the next evolution of kindle called the Kindle Fire.  In short, Amazon took a Kindle; beefed up its power, gave it a color screen and connected it to the cloud.  In short, the technology behind the Kindle Fire is revolutionary.

Now, depending on who you talk to the Kindle Fire ranges anywhere from an Ipad Killer to a Kindle that you can’t use at the beach. My take on it is the Kindle Fire is a vastly different device than either the Ipad or the original Kindle.  In my opinion the Kindle Fire’s true purpose lies somewhere in between. 

If You Need an E-Reader Nothing Compares to the Regular Kindle

While it’s only natural for us to try to compare the Kindle Fire to the regular Kindle the similarities end at the name.  The original Kindle is an e-reader.  While you can technically do things like surf the net, check email, and play games on the Kindle that is not the purpose for which it was made.  Now if you are talking about being able to take an entire library of books wherever you go and read anywhere; including a Caribbean beach directly in the afternoon sun, there is no device that does it better. 

Although the Kindle Fire does fit the bill as a portable library it fails miserably as an anywhere reading device.  The Fire does just fine as an e-reader in most conditions, but when subjected to the brightness of direct sunlight the glare will makes it un-readable.  This alone is the reason why my regular Kindle will be my primary cruise e-reader.  I tend to spend a lot of time at the beach as well as poolside by the Lido deck where the Kindle is king.

The Kindle Touch 3G: An Update on the Best E-reader There Is

While the Kindle Fire is the main attraction to be released by Amazon they have also decided to release some updates of the regular Kindle.  My personal recommendation for cruising is the Kindle Touch 3G with special offers.  The Kindle Touch 3G gives you all the advantages of the regular Kindle but adds a touch screen.  This particular model gives you a 40 dollar discount over the Kindle without offers but really there is no difference between the two.  The ads they show aren’t shown during regular use so really you don’t even notice.  With this latest iteration what Amazon.com has done is taken the original Kindle, eliminated the keyboard and added a touchscreen making it even more compact and better suited for travel.

The Kindle Fire Does Have its Place

That isn’t to say I won’t be picking up a Kindle Fire because I definitely will be getting one this holiday season.  Even if the Kindle Fire may fail as a beach lounging e-reader there are some things it can do that simply aren’t possible without having to spend 500+ dollars on an iPad.

So here are some reasons why I will be picking up a Kindle Fire to take along on cruises.

·        Having my own Movies, Television shows and Music on a cruise is just cool, especially at only 200 bucks.  In the past having all of these options at your finger tips was only possible if you spend 500 dollars for an Ipad or carried several devices that would still total more than the cost of the Kindle Fire.

·        Although the Kindle Fire only has 8GB of storage space (enough for 6 or so movies and some music), ports of call always have places with free Wi-Fi where I can interact with the Amazon.com cloud if I need to swap out media.

·        While I do like to unplug as much as possible when I travel I like to have the ability to connect to the real world if the need arises.  Although my Smartphone is pretty robust, I am not a fan of banging out long emails on its smallish touch screen.  Something a bit larger would be nice.

·        The Kindle Fire will at times be a superior reader to the regular kindle.  When sitting out on a balcony at night or in my cabin before turning in, the LED screen will be a godsend.

When it comes to choosing between the Fire and Regular model the phrase, “different tools for different jobs” is the first thing that comes to mind.  If you are looking to read  while lounging on the beach with an umbrella drink in hand you absolutely need to go with the regular Kindle.  If you are looking to read in the dark, watch movies or do any serious internet surfing you will want to join the estimated 5 million Amazon.com customers who will buy a Kindle Fire this holiday season.

Or you could be like me and choose both.