Kindle Fire or I Pad

What are you planning on using it for? Lot easier to see and read things in color on the iPad vs. the Kindle. Really what you want to do determines what you'll want to get. Budget also is a factor as well.

If price doesn't matter, I would get the iPad. The iPad 3 should be coming out soon. The iPad does much more than the Kindle Fire.

Bets, I most definitely feel that an iPad would be the most appropriate choice, as it provides a lot more versatility than a Kindle Fire. It will provide many of the functions of your MacBook in a much more compact and easy-to-carry size. When will your trip be taking place? As "price is no object", I'd also suggest waiting to buy an iPad 3. The current rumours indicate that it could be released on March 29th, as Apple have scheduled a big media event that day. Of course, if you would like to keep the cost down a bit, the price on the iPad 2 models will decrease when the new model is introduced. Cheers!

So what does the I-pad 3 have that the 2 doesn't? I know the 2 has a camera which the original one doesn't, but I can't see lugging it around to take pictures. Just trying to decide if I really need to wait for the 3 or can just get the 2. Would use mostly for email, googling stuff. I know this isn't really a travel question, but you all know more about this stuff than I do!

Elaine; Apple us pretty secretive about u p d a t e s, but there is a growing consensus that the iPad 3 will come out in March and that it will have a "retina" screen, which is lingo for pixels so small you can't see them. Everything from photos to tiny text should look crystal clear. It should also come with an upgraded processor to drive all those pixels. Most everything else should be pretty much the same. But that's all just an educated guess. However, it makes sense. Apple is under pressure to stay ahead of the curve while the competition is improving.

The main reason to wait for the Ipad 3 to come out is that the Ipad 2's price will be lowered to get rid of inventory. I'm still waiting for a 7" Ipad but I've told that's about as likely as heavy snow in Rome. Wait a minute.....

The iPad is a handy travel device. The map searching and directions function and the apps for finding food and gas make it very useful on the road and for trip planning. And of course the internet connection makes it easy to stay in touch. I have the 3G model which I've found works well on Edge, too, just not as fast. For our trip to the UK later this year, I'll use it much the same way, though there appear to be no apps comparable to Yelp or Gas Buddy. In the UK, prepaid data sims can be had for £10 for 1GB good for 30 days or £20 for 3GB good for 3 months. That's a better deal than AT&T offers in the US. I've seen similar deals for Italy mentioned. We have the Kindle app which works well. There's a Skype app for the iPad, too. The internet chatter I've read about the next iPad talks about the improved screen that Randy mentioned (which the iPhone 4S has), better camera resolution and perhaps a lighter iPad. But it's all speculation. We like our older version of Kindle a lot, but for usefulness on a trip, the iPad is better for us.

I love my iPad 2... Can only think that the kindle fire is an iPad want-to- be...IMO

@Elaine, As Randy mentioned, it's difficult to get much specific information on the new "bells & whistles" in the iPad 3. Apple is extremely secretive about this sort of thing, so even the most knowledgeable "techies" can only make an educated guess (unless there are some info "leaks" from the factories in China). The rumours are that it will have: > A new Retina screen with high pixel density and extremely good resolution. > Front-facing HD Camera. > Possibly (but not likely) an A6 quad processor. > Possibly 4G / LTE for the models equipped for cellular data access. > Possibly SIRI? > Form factor possibly a bit thicker. Most of the analysts feel that a 7" model is NOT at all likely (but with Apple, who can say). The competition is "snapping at their heels", so Apple is probably going to try and introduce some very spectacular features. I guess we'll all know what they will be on March 29th. I agree that it would best to wait a bit before purchasing one, as the price on iPad 2 models will decrease. After the iPad 3 release, speculation on the iPhone 5 will increase sharply! Cheers!

Let's not forget to check out the android based Samsung Galaxy's. There's a reason Apple is going to courts around the world to get them banned;) http://tinyurl.com/3e9hlc2

Are these the same guessers who "knew" what was coming on the new IPhone, what is now called the 4S?

Ann yes the Samsung Galaxy...Almost bought it instead of the IPad. Have several friends that have them...but for the cost difference I went with IPad...basically the gold standard.

If you want to be able to skype or ichat, the kindle fire is not an option since it doesn't have a forward facing camera. The iPad has many times over the amount of apps that any other tablet has. Though it is sometimes annoying that the ipad can't show any flash-based websites. We will be traveling with regular kindles (1 each), an iphone 4, a windows phone and an ipad2. An ipad does not replace a kindle for me for reading (too much eye strain). I would definitely consider buying a kindle fire just to watch movies, check email, & basic internet browsing. But not replace my ipad. I believe walmart (if you shop there) is offering a $50 GC if you buy one in their store. $150 is really an incredible price for a tablet.

Thanks Jennifer. That's what I'll do: keep my Kindle for reading and go IPad, but wait for the IPad 3. Ken, it's for a lot of short business trips here in the States before six weeks overseas this summer. I'm tired of lugging the Mac. Thanks everyone else for the input and info.

Hi all, So I am the one who posted about loving my Kindle Fire, and I do. But I had an interesting experience today. I was up in the Piazza Italia in Perugia, with the glorious sunshine beating down, and it was pretty hard to see the screen on the Kindle Fire. I also happened to have brought along the Kindle with ads (now $79) and critically with e-ink technology. I pulled it out and I could easily read the screen. The lesson for me was this: I will use my Kindle Fire at home (hotel or whatnot) and then take my Kindle With Ads when I go into the cities. Having a guidebook that I can highlight, unhighlight, and search with me is critical. What's really interesting is that the Kindle with Ads is super lightweight too, so that's a real bonus. David

Just so this discussion is complete, remember that Kindle software will run on smartphones, too. If you are taking such a phone anyway, you can also take an iPad without having to carry a Kindle device. True that eInk reads better in bright sunlight, but I usually just find some shade to look at my phone's screen. The screen is smaller, of course. Usual disclaimer: If you take a smartphone, read up on how to avoid excessive data charges so you don't get burned.

I should have made a couple of things clearer. I see that some people respond to the "price doesn't matter" issue by saying buy an iPad. That's like telling someone who wants a car and price doesn't matter to buy a Porsche 911. Great solution. The issue here is that a Porsche 911 does not fit every situation. My previous post was intended to suggest that having a Kindle Fire or an iPad is NOT A GREAT idea if you want to read your electronic guidebook in the sun. If you want to just be able to carry around your electronic guidebook(s), suitably highlighted and searchable, then the eInk version of the Kindle (Kindle keyboard, is the actual name) then that is the way to go. I happen to think that the iPad is indeed the Porsche 911 of the tablet world. The thing is, I just wanted to read books and watch movies, highlight things and such. I think the Kindle Fire gets this done BETTER than the iPad, largely because the Kindle Fire is tied into the Amazon cloud services platform, making buying and synching between kindles a snap. When I go to the big cities, carrying around a "cheap" Kindle "keyboard" or Kindle with ads ($79) is the way to go. You can read the screen and it's light. It'll even slip in a pocket if you need it to. With the $79 price, I'm not MUCH less worried about taking it with me too. I keep the Kindle Fire safe at home / hotel. Cheers!!

I think the Kindle Fire is a great choice (at a great price) UNLESS there are a few things you need to do that it can't. The biggest (for me) is the lack of a forward facing camera. When I travel I want to be able to skype over wifi with the people I'm not with. The Kindle Fire cannot do this, the iPad can. Another potential downside is the lack of apps. Apple, just has way, way more apps because people been making them longer. Maybe you only need the mainstream ones so it doesn't matter to you. Is there a Netflix app for the Fire yet? We use that a lot on the iPad (we may not on our trip next month to Europe, but we do a lot when visiting family in the US, sitting in airports, etc). To be fair, the iPad can run iPhone apps, which don't work as nicely and there are fewer specifically iPad apps. But for about 1/3 the price, the Fire is a really good choice. We have 2 small kids, I think a Kindle Fire is likely in our future at some point. And I totally agree that the regular kindle with e-ink is the only way to read a book. There are 2 options the Kindle keyboard or the Kindle touch (and both come in a ads version for some savings). I have the touch (w/ads) and my husband has the keyboard (no ads). Ads are absolutely unobtrusive and I like both versions (touch & keyboard).

Bets- I went to England and Poland last summer with my iPad2. I thougt it might be foolish to lug around a tablet but I was wrong. It saved us so much time in looking up schedules, finding directions, checking flights etc. Yes, it can be referred to as a geriatric iphone but it saved our life when we dropped and broke our camera. We just started taking pixs with the ipad2 (did look silly but who cares). Everywhere we went was Wifi friendly...don't bother with sim cards. I even read books with my kindle app.
PS I carried it in a plain case in my well worn shoulder bag (with zipper) and rarely took it out in a crowded public area. Of course, ipad2s were new last year, so maybe the pick pockets are only looking for the ipad3s.

Just an u p d a te from my post 10 days ago; Although still speculation, there is now very strong evidence that Apple will unveil the iPad3 on March 7th with the new "retina" screen as well as a more powerful processor and better camera. http://www.macrumors.com/ Although no one knows pricing, the Apple business model has always been to improve the product while keeping the price the same. There is some speculation that the current model will continue production as a lower-cost model to help compete with other tablets. Even if this is not true, the current model will be avalable from many sources at a discount until supply runs out. I would at the very least wait until after I have had a chance to get my hands on an iPad3 before investing money in anything - around mid-March. As an aside; I think it is prudent to think 2-3 years down the road with electronics. Clearly Apple is heading in the direction of Tablet devices replacing laptops for all but the most serious computing tasks. The capabilities of the iPad will continue to expand as people are encouraged to "think differently" about how they consume media. Also, as a practical matter; Every time I u p d a t e an Apple product, I sell the old one (in good condition) on eBay. After one year, Apple products hold 80% of their value. After two years, about 60%. After three years, about 50%. Anyone dare to guess what a Kindle Fire of today will be worth on eBay three years from now (if it still functions?). PS; God, how I hate that every time I type U P D A T E without the spaces, it disappears! c'mon webmaster, get this fixed...

Wow. Glad I found this. I'm at the purchase decision point. I am traveling to Spain for 3 months. I'll have my laptop and my pisos have wifi. No worries there as I'll be working for a few hours/day. I called Verizon, and don't think that it makes sense to bring my Droid. Plus, I hate reading it in the glare of sunlight. I have a prepaid Spanish cell via Vodaphone that I top up. But, I want to be able to lighten the load for day trips over the weekend. When I called the Rick Steves customer service department about the readability of the guides on Kindles, they recommended Kindle Fire. I have a friend in Scotland who uploaded a sample of the 2012 Spain guide on her Kindle (the $79 model) and she says that it reads just fine w/the exception of the need for color (e.g., the metro map for Barcelona). If I can really get by w/a regular Kindle (David, I'm not sure what you mean by a Kindle w/ads), I would love to save $100+. I will be leaving my laptop in my pisos, have no printer (though I could bring a flash drive to a locutorio). So, Kindle w/ads? And what exactly is that? Thanks
Cheryl R.

Cheryl, welcome to the Helpline. Just to hijack the thread for a short moment, I see from your post that you will be in Spain for 3 months and that you will be working. I'd just like to remind you that if you were not to be working and in the Schengen countries, including Spain, for fewer than 90 days in any 180 you would not need a written visa and all the hassle that goes with one. If you are working you will not be covered under the Schengen visa waiver program and you require a written work visa or some other formal visa. End of commercial, we now return you to your scheduled program...

David, I'm looking into the visa, but hoping that it won't be necessary. I'm a writer and will be working on an editorial deadline 2-3 hours 4-5 days/week. I'll also be out of the country for a week. I am hoping that I can squeeze by w/out a visa. Thanks,
Cheryl R.

Being out of the country for a week will help if you are out of Schengen. Anywhere in the 26 countries of Schengen is all counted. They do count to the day. There are other stories on here of people being banned and/or paying heavy fines on departure.