back to article Goes like the blazes: Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 late 2014 edition

Before you all take to the comments page and start asking why in the name of hell it has taken us more than six months to review the Fire 8.9 HDX, let me clarify one thing. This is the new, refreshed winter 2014 model. Yes, I know it looks very similar, OK, make that identical, to the previous (3rd) generation 8.9 HDX but trust …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Single page view ?

    These multi-multi-page articles used to have a single page view button.

    Where's it gone ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Single page view ?

      you could always use the top-right-hand-side URL-bar blue coloured "READER" function in Safari browser, or El'reg could go out to press with a bit less make-up on.

      (other site-hacks are available, maybe iReader for Chrome & Readability for FF-ozilla are still around?)

    2. Graham 24

      Re: Single page view ?

      <cynic mode>

      The advertising department had it removed so that this one article now counts as three page impressions.

      </cynic mode>

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

        Re: Single page view ?

        YOU CAPTURED THEIR SECRET TRICK!

    3. king of foo

      Re: Single page view ?

      Replace the www. with m.

  2. Tiny Iota
    FAIL

    Thanks for the reminder

    After the first massive picture, I read the first paragraph and realised I had completely forgotten what this tablet looked like. Thankfully, you then included an identical massive picture again. And people have the gall to complain about this stupid new redesign!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Thanks for the reminder

      > After the first massive picture, I read the first paragraph and realised I had completely forgotten what this tablet looked like. Thankfully, you then included an identical massive picture again.

      It's apparently for the benefit of mobile bods who don't have as much screen real estate as desktop users. It seems a bit counter-intuitive to seemingly waste all that space but I only build websites professionally, so what would I know?

  3. ColonelClaw

    Richard Madeley, Hunger Games and Mail Plus. El Reg, I salute you.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      If you pick up Richard Madeley's book in Tesco, remember to forget to pay for it.

  4. xyz Silver badge

    HOW ****ING MUCH?

    I have bought my GF Kindles various since they first came out. I think she's on her 4th now (a Fire HD)and it seems to be surviving its nightly drop on the floor when she falls asleep whilst reading it. The rest all ended up as piles of bits in the bin (in one case, a soggy pile of bits). At those prices, she's not getting number 5...Blimey I'm shocked!

    1. earl grey
      Trollface

      Re: HOW ****ING MUCH?

      soggy pile of bits

      sounds like you need to get the seals checked.

      1. PNGuinn
        Coat

        Re: HOW ****ING MUCH?

        Ork! Ork!

        Fish! Fish!

        Clap! Clap! Ork! Clap! Fish! Ork!

    2. tojb

      Re: HOW ****ING MUCH?

      otterbox mate.

  5. Sir Sham Cad

    Access to Play Store

    This frustrated me for a while with my Fire HD 7.

    There are apps (such as 1 Mobile Market) that you can get and will sideload a *lot* of Play store apps including the google stuff. I used it to sideload Chromecast and Chrome.

    Still a PITA, though.

  6. juice

    Wake me up...

    When someone produces a decent/sensibly priced 12" tablet with a 4:3 viewing ratio, so I can read magazines and web-browse at a sensible viewing scale - I'm getting tired of poking and prodding the screen to try and hit the tiny links on my company's mobile-unfriendly Outlook web client, even on my LG G3's 5.5 inch screen!

    All these variations on a 16:9 7"/9" tablet are missing the point - not only is the market glutted with the beasties, but they're not really big enough to offer a significant advantage over the many 5"+ phones which are now available...

    1. mdava

      Re: Wake me up...

      " . . . my company's mobile-unfriendly Outlook web client"

      I have exactly the same problem and am bemused that the Outlook OWA doesn't have a default mobile-friendly format.

      1. The Original Steve

        Some nice unique features

        "I have exactly the same problem and am bemused that the Outlook OWA doesn't have a default mobile-friendly format."

        You need Exchange 2013, renders OWA for mobiles very well. Fraid 2010 sucks. Could always use ActiveSync instead.

        1. Matt_payne666

          Re: Some nice unique features

          Or you could run full outlook on a windows tablet.....

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Some nice unique features

            or you could just access Exchange via the clients built into every smartphone. Or download a 3rd party one if you're not happy with the default.

      2. Spiracle

        Re: Wake me up...

        I have exactly the same problem and am bemused that the Outlook OWA doesn't have a default mobile-friendly format.

        Try appending '/?layout=twide' (or '/?layout=tnarrow' if you're on a phone) to the end of your OWA URL. I've got it as a bookmark.*

        PITA, but it works.

        *May be dependent on running Exchange 2013

        1. king of foo

          Re: Wake me up...

          Try paying for a mail client.

          I agree that you shouldn't need to but, yeah, Microsoft... Woo.

          I use "Mobile Access For Outlook OWA" on android. It only cost a few quid and has been regularly updated and gone from strength to strength. Would recommend. Devs were quick to respond to my emails identifying issues.

          Def works with exchange 2007+2010, not sure what else.

          Like it so much I'd happily pay the 3 or 4 quid all over again.

          1. Lusty

            Re: Wake me up...

            "I agree that you shouldn't need to but, yeah, Microsoft... Woo"

            So you're blaming Microsoft because your Android tablet doesn't come with a good mail client? All of the other tablet OS's come with a perfectly serviceable mail client out of the box, and Exchange 2013 has full mobile support on OWA which works perfectly. From what I can tell MS are doing quite well.

            1. king of foo

              Re: Wake me up...

              No.

              That is all.

        2. mdava

          Re: Wake me up...

          Try appending '/?layout=twide' (or '/?layout=tnarrow' if you're on a phone) to the end of your OWA URL

          Thanks for the suggestion, but you were right this is a 2013 feature (and 2010 sucks, as per previous observation).

      3. you are idiots

        Re: Wake me up...

        or just install Aquamail from play store

        works well with exchange servers...

    2. EuKiwi

      Re: Wake me up...

      I agree with you for web browsing and magazine/book reading and the like but I use my tablet very frequently for viewing movies, and there a 16:9 makes MUCH more sense as you will get less of the black-bordery badness happening. Given Amazon are very much touting this as a movie/video content consumption toy, I think the 16:9 makes more sense to be honest.

      But it's swings and roundabouts, and YMMV. :)

  7. CmdrX3

    Nice piece of kit

    But I'm still not willing to pay that much for something so locked down and can't access Google Play when I can buy something like a Nexus 9 for a tenner less and do so much more with it..

    1. garden-snail
      Stop

      Re: Nice piece of kit

      That is why Amazon Fire is struggling, in a nutshell. You can't strip useful stuff out of Android then expect people to pay more for it.

      The Fire tablets either need to have some new, killer, must-have functionality or a rock-bottom price. The combination of missing features and high price-point is not attractive.

    2. GlenP Silver badge

      Re: Nice piece of kit

      Agreed - just bought a Hudl 2 for about 1/3 of the price (once I'd taken advantage of doubling up some vouchers). Does everything I want.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    £339 (16GB), £379 (32GB), £419 (64GB), £449 (32GB + 4G), £489 (64GB + 4G) RRP

    and no card slot? ho-ho-fucking-ho-not

  9. ScottME

    Expensive for a lock-in

    I don't really care how whazzy the technology inside it is, because all I would seem to get for the rather high purchase price is the opportunity to send an ongoing stream of yet more money into Amazon's coffers. I'd only consider something like this if it was readily rootable to allow stock Android as a replacement for the proprietary Amazon OS. On second thoughts, perhaps I'll get a Nexus 9.

  10. Neil 44

    Why such an old Android base?

    "based on 4.4.3..."

    So.. given 4.4.4 was release mid-june, why haven't Amazon incorporated it (at least!) into their new product? 4.4.4 was supposed to include security fixes - so does that mean this new shiny is missing them?

    Not even mentioning Lollipop which has been out in developer preview form since the end of June....

    My summary of the product would be "somewhat dated software - possibly even having security vulnerabilities"

  11. Timbo

    Looks the same....

    ....same weight, same screen, same battery....

    so HOW on earth can us poor punters tell the difference ?

    If the reviewer included (say) the different SKU/barcode/part numbers then we'd know which is which !!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Or do what most people will do and buy an Apple iPad or other Android tablet and still have access to the Amazon content (if perhaps not as seamless / pushed on you?) and larger app stores.

  13. Andy Hards

    Richard Madeley writes bodice rippers?

    WTF?

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