Kindle Fire Coupons – Kindle Fire HD $30 Coupon, Kindle Fire LTE $50 Coupon

Posted on February 4, 2013 by switch11

First, there’s a new Kindle Fire coupon for some great discounts -

  1. Kindle Fire Coupon is FIRELOVE. You have to enter it at checkout. The final page, where you have to press ‘Confirm’ to send order, has a spot on the right to enter this Kindle Fire Coupon.
  2. $30 off on the $299 Kindle Fire HD 16 GB. That makes its price $269.
  3. $50 off on the $499 Kindle Fire HD LTE. That makes its price $449.
  4. Coupon can only be used once per customer.
  5. Valid only in the US.
  6. Valid only till February 8th.

Tip of the hat to Steve Windwalker at Kindle Nation Daily for the heads up on this.

Kindle Fire Coupon – Kindle Fire HD Coupon Rules and Restrictions

This is what the Kindle Fire HD product page says -

Through February 8th, 2013, save $30 on Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ or $50 on Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE. Enter promotional code FIRELOVE at checkout.

These are the details -

  1. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ Coupon is valid until February 8th, 2013 (February 8th 2013 is included).
  2. Kindle Fire HD Promotional Code: FIRELOVE. Has to be entered at checkout. Important: You will only get the discount if you enter the coupon at checkout.
  3. Limit of one discount per customer.
  4. US customers only.
  5. Valid on all version of Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ sold by Amazon.
  6. Amazon can cancel promotion at any time.
  7. May not be combined with other offers.
  8. Not valid with 1-Click ordering.

This brings up an interesting question.

Why is Amazon offering a $30 off Kindle Fire HD coupon, and a $50 off Kindle Fire HD LTE coupon so soon after launch?

Let’s consider the data points and make some assumptions -

  1. B&N offered a $30 Gift Card with Nook HD+ and Nook HD just this weekend. This is on devices that are already ridiculously cheap.
  2. Amazon and B&N have offered discounts and $50 off discounts and $25 gift cards on their devices ever since launch. This is despite both devices severely undercutting the equivalent Apple versions (iPad, iPad Mini).
  3. Assumption #1: The cheap prices of Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ LTE, Nook HD+, Kindle Fire HD, Nook HD are not proving enough to sell them.
  4. Assumption #2: The discounts are either working very well, or they are leading to at least some sales. Why else would B&N and Amazon keep repeating them. I’ve counted 3 or 4 different Kindle Fire coupons and Kindle Fire HD coupons since November. And 4 or 5 weekends of coupons or discounts for B&N.
  5. Assumption #3: The iPad Mini has to do with it.

So, the overall assumption would be that iPad Mini has greatly affected sales and the only way Amazon and B&N can compete is by going back to their calling card – lower prices, greater value for money.

Earlier we had very clear cut differentiation -

  1. iPad at $499 and above.
  2. Kindle Fire and Nook at $199.
  3. The difference of $300 made the Kindle Fire and Nook safe.

Now, we have the following situation -

  1. Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD at $199. iPad Mini at $329. The difference is just $130 now.
  2. Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and Nook HD+ at $299/$269. iPad at $499 and iPad Mini at $329. The difference is much smaller plus iPad Mini is effectively in the same price bracket.

So we suddenly have very little price differentiation left.

What should Amazon and B&N do?

Make the prices lower PERMANENTLY.

Kindle Fire HD should be $149. Nook HD should be $149.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ should be $199. Nook HD+ should be $199.

$329 vs $199 is just a $130 price difference and it doesn’t seem much.

$329 vs $149 is a ‘twice the price’ effect.

Sooner or later Amazon and B&N will have to do this. Might as well do it now and get lots of sales. Once the iPad Mini with Retina Display comes out sales might fall even more.

What if our Assumptions are Wrong?

It’s quite possible that the Kindle Fire HD coupon means Amazon is being agressive and trying to strengthen a strong position. As opposed to being defensive and trying to make up for poor sales.

We do know that B&N had bad sales of HD and HD+.

We also know that Amazon had really good sales of Kindle Fire HD. Supposedly giving it 33% market share of the Tablet Market in the US (according to Localytics). Please Note: This is for the Quarter only. It just means that in the Holiday Quarter 33% of Tablets sold in the US were supposedly Kindle Fire Tablets.

That means one of two possibilities -

  1. Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire sold very well. Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ did not sell well. The current Kindle Fire HD coupon is trying to ignite Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ sales.
  2. Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ did indeed sell well. Amazon is trying to further increase its lead via this Kindle Fire HD coupon.

My money is on the former. However, the latter is also a possibility (albeit an unlikely one).

It the former is the case, then it suggests that people are choosing iPad Mini over iPad and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and Nook HD+.

The Kindle Fire HD Coupon will also show up if you visit the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ page.

Filed under: free books, Kindle Fire | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

The $99 Tablet to Rule Them All

Posted on January 31, 2013 by switch11

If we consider the core Tablet Functions i.e.

  1. Surfing the Internet
  2. Checking Email
  3. Reading Books
  4. Stalking people on Facebook
  5. Pretending you’re a photographer on Instagram
  6. Twittering on Twitter.
  7. Watching Movies
  8. Listening to Music
  9. Using Apps for some core services because websites aren’t yet good enough.
  10. Playing Games.

It’s interesting to note that most of the ‘amazing hardware features’ being used to market Tablets are irrelevant.

  1. If Retina Displays and HD Displays are so important, then why is iPad Mini selling so well?
  2. If processors are so important, then why is Nexus 7 selling less than not just iPad Mini, but also other Android Tablets. Note: Both Chitika and Localytics surveys put Nexus 7 at the 3rd or 4th slot amongst Android Tablets.
  3. If speed is so important, then why are slow $99 Android Tablets selling relatively well?
  4. If branding is so important, then why isn’t everyone buying Google and Apple Tablets?
  5. If having the ‘latest version of the hardware’ and owning the ‘latest model of the Tablet’ are so important, then why are older iPads and old Android Tablets selling so well?

It’s even more interesting to note that companies seem to be ignoring the $99 Rule i.e.

  1. Demand when a device hits $99 will probably be 2 to 5 times the demand of when the device was at $199.

Let’s consider the Key Question.

Why are companies releasing ‘Advanced Hardware Versions’ for $199 when they could be releasing ‘Improved Software Versions’ for $99?

All Tablet Companies (Amazon, B&N, Google, Apple) are pushing for ‘new advanced hardware versions’ of their Tablets which are at the same price point as the previous generation.

  1. Amazon is focused on Kindle Fire HD which is $199 and has hardware improvements over the Kindle Fire 1.
  2. B&N is focused on Nook HD which is $199 and has hardware improvements over Nook Tablet and Nook Color.
  3. Apple is continuously releasing new models that add more GB or new screens.
  4. Google is going with prices higher than Amazon and B&N.

It’s as if every Tablet company is blind to the REAL USE CASES of Tablets. More importantly, every company seems absolutely blind to the next big game-changer.

A $99 Tablet is going to be the next BIG Game-Changer

What have been the game-changers in the Tablet Space?

  1. iPad, for showing the Market exists. Note: The $499 iPad was a LOT cheaper than most high quality laptops. That’s the BIGGEST reason it did well.
  2. Nook Color and Kindle Fire, for showing and then confirming that the $199 Tablet Market exists. Again, the price was the big differentiator.
  3. iPad Mini, for showing that even Apple users prefer a $329 8″ Tablet over a $499 10″ Tablet.

What’s the common thread here?

Users were able to get the CORE TABLET USE CASES at a LOWER PRICE POINT.

It’s not Rocket Science.

The device that was able to provide the core functions users need from a computing device, at a lower price point and with more convenience, won. It’s actually exceedingly simple. Let’s just go over that again -

  1. The cheaper, easier to use iPad stole market share from Laptops.
  2. The cheaper Nook and Kindle Fire stole market share from iPads (Note: It was an exploding market, so sales went up – However, market share was still taken from iPads).
  3. The cheaper iPad Mini stole market share from iPads.

It’s a SUPER CLEAR TREND.

Providing the Core Computing Features (Core Tablet Use Cases) in a Cheaper Package = Winning!

You don’t need to have Tiger Blood or Adonis DNA. Just a willingness to provide users the core computing features for a better price.

Note: Computing Features are Not processing power. They are Not screen density. Just the CORE TABLET USE CASES in a fast enough and convenient enough package.

People forget that computers took off and software took off because it replaced enormously expensive tasks. That $300 Office Software was saving people tens of thousands of dollars.

It’s the same with the rise of Tablets. There’s no big genius idea here.

If someone comes to a user and says – Hey, here’s a device that lets you do 80% of what you mostly do with a Computer, and it’s half the price.

She’ll take that offer.

Which brings us to the next NATURAL step in the evolution of Tablets.

A $99 Tablet that is GREAT at the Core Tablet Use Cases

While everyone is running to try and add features that aren’t really needed (super retina display that you can read clearly even when your eyeball is touching the screen) while keeping the cost to customers the same, we need some super smart (or, depending on how you look at it, super dumb) company to say -

Wait a minute, Mr Postman. Are you telling me that these quad core, super retina display, 512 GB RAM Tablets with vulcan technology from Outer Space are being used primarily to check hotmail, Facebook, and read books?

Surely, you couldn’t seriously mean that we are giving users the equivalent of a Cray Supercomputer of the 1980s in their hands and instead of forecasting global weather trends and calculating the preicse location of the Higgs Boson, they just want to know what their grandmother made for supper?

This is ludicrous.

Actually, it’s real life.

People just want a device that will let them do what they want to do – easily, conveniently, well, and cheaply.

There’s absolutely nothing among the Top 10 Core Tablet Use Cases that needs a quad core processor, or a Retina Display, or any other new hardware over what existed in Nook Color and Kindle Fire.

Think about it. Why do we need a quad core processor to check Email?

Actually, let’s write it out -

  • Surfing the Internet – What are we going to improve here? Most websites are text and images. They aren’t DNA strands you have to decipher in real time.
  • Checking Email – Email. Even 1983 computers could handle email.
  • Reading Books – If the eInk Kindle can handle reading books then no reason a Kindle Fire can’t.
  • Stalking people on Facebook – Well, there’s definitely room for improvement here. Who wouldn’t like a ‘Who’s stalking you back’ feature.
  • Pretending you’re a photographer on Instagram – The worse the screen here, the better.
  • Twittering on Twitter – 140 characters (or is it 148). Perhaps we need new technology that changes LMAO into actual English and smacks the user on the side of the head as a bonus.
  • Watching Movies – Screens are important here. However, SD vs HD vs HDX is venturing into crazy territory.
  • Listening to Music – No idea what magical improvements there can be here.
  • Using Apps for some core services because websites aren’t yet good enough – Most devices already work fine for this.
  • Playing Games – You don’t need 3D graphics. Most of the bestselling games are 2D and run on even 2 year old devices. Plus, there already are games with 3D graphics.

So, for at least 8 out of the 10 core Tablet Use Cases, we could just use the Kindle Fire 1 or Nook Color. The improvements since then, in terms of how much better the Core Tablet Use Cases are, are incremental.

What Tablet companies should really be doing is figuring out

  1. How to improve the software – to greatly improve the Top 10 Tablet Use Cases.
  2. How to squeeze more out of the hardware using software improvements.
  3. How to get better and better at the core Tablet Use Cases.
  4. How to reduce prices further.
  5. How to hit economies of scale.

That would lead to a $99 Tablet that would actually be BETTER for the Top Tablet Use Cases than any Super-Retina Display, 24 Core Processor, $259 Tablet.

The next step in the evolution of Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, Samsung Tablet should be a $99 device that rules them all.

Filed under: Kindle Fire | Tagged: , , | 14 Comments »

Kindle Fire Sales Estimates, Kindle Fire HD Sales Estimates

Posted on December 31, 2012 by switch11

Estimating Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD sales is an interesting challenge.

Amazon likes to put out constant press releases full of meaningless nonsense – Amazon sold more Kindle Fire HDs than it sold ice cream cones and bubble wrap combined.

These are mostly misdirection. Not to mention a sort of calculated vagueness. To take advantage of the human need to avoid uncertainty and fill it in with guesses and estimates – something which is probably amplified in journalists and stock analysts to the point of borderline madness.

Let’s look at ways to estimate Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD sales – both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Kindle Fire Sales Estimates & Kindle Fire HD Sales Estimates based on Reviews

This is actually a very good way to guess. The only missing thing is what ratio we assume exists between Kindle Fires bought and reviews left.

We currently have:

  1. 4,438 reviews left for the Kindle Fire 2. If we assume the usual 1,000: 1 ratio between Sales and Reviews we are talking about 4.4 million Kindle Fire 2s sold. However, the ratio is different for higher priced devices and even higher for devices that create strong likes and dislikes. So a ratio of 500: 1 is more appropriate. That would give us 2.2 million Kindle Fire 2s sold. This seems more like the top end. The Kindle Fire 2 probably sold 1.75 million to 2.2 million units.
  2.  5,537 Kindle Fire HD reviews. Again, let’s go with the 500:1 ratio and that gives us 2.75 million Kindle Fire HDs sold. If we assume that a $199 device would get reviews slightly more often, we end up with a range of 2 million to 2.75 million Kindle Fire HDs sold.
  3. 1,609 Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ reviews suggest that between 500,000 and 800,000 of these were sold. Again, we are assuming that the higher up the price the more likely the purchaser is to leave a review.

This gives us the following estimates – 1.75 million to 2.2 million Kindle Fire 2s were sold; 2 million to 2.75 million Kindle Fire HDs were sold; Half a million to 800,000 Kindle Fire HD 8.9″s were sold.

Total Kindle Fire Sales: Between 4.25 million and 5.75 million.

Reliability of this Method: Close to Zero.

While this method seems absolutely crazy, it’s a really good one in the absence of any hard figures. Anyone who sells books or products through Amazon can confirm it for you. Depending on your price and quality you will see 1 review per 250 sales to 1 review per 1,000 sales.

Kindle Fire Sales Estimates & Kindle Fire HD Sales Estimates based on Browsing Share Among Tablets

This is actually the absolute worst method. Why?

  1. Different Tablets are used in different ways and bought for different reasons.
  2. Different Tablets vary wildly in how good they are for browsing.
  3. Measuring Browser Share among Tablets based on one company’s figures (even if it is an advertising company) is very vulnerable to pre-selection bias. The networks usually pre-select users in ways that tilt it towards different devices.

That being said, a recent survey by Chitika showed that for every 100 iPad impressions there were 4.88 Kindle Fire impressions.

If we assume this study is right, and if we assume that iPad users are twice as likely to use the iPad for browsing, then we get that for every 100 iPads sold there have been 9.76 Kindle Fires sold.

Total iPad Sales to Date – Perhaps around 112 million iPads sold.

Total Kindle Fire Sales to Date – Perhaps around 10.9 million.

Since we know neither Kindle Fire sales figures, nor Kindle Fire 2 sales figures, it becomes an exercise in futility. So, let’s just assume that the sales are split as either 5.9 million and 5 million OR as 6.9 million and 4 million.

Which gives us: Kindle Fire 2 and Kindle Fire HD have sold between 4 million and 5 million units to date.

Reliability of this Method: Zero.

Kindle Fire Sales Estimates based on Various Data Points

Let’s assume (you’ll see a lot of that – baseless assumptions) that Amazon sold 3 million Kindle Fires during last year’s holiday season. That it sold a further 2 million Kindle Fires until the launch of the Kindle Fire 2 and Kindle Fire HD.

Let’s assume that Amazon was ambitious and assumed that it would sell 10 million to 15 million of the new Kindle Fires (as opposed to 5 million of the first Kindle Fire 1 in its first year of existence).

That would give us stock of 5 to 7.5 million for this holiday season. We saw a few things that I personally haven’t seen Amazon do -

  1. A massive $50 off sale on Kindle Fire 2.
  2. A massive $50 off sale on Kindle Fire HD 8.9″.

Amazon has not, to the best of my knowledge, done a big sale on new models. Please keep in mind that these new models are ALREADY at a huge price discount compared to iPads.

So, Amazon must not be meeting its sales projections, for it to take such drastic measures.

Finally, let’s add-on the fact that WalMart and Target stopped stocking Kindle Fires this year – right before Holiday Season.

All of this suggests that Amazon probably was not meeting its sales goals of 5 million to 7.5 million Kindle Fires this holiday season and had to do special promotions to get closer.

Which gives us: 3 million to 4 million Kindle Fire 2s and Kindle Fire HDs sold.

Reliability: Close to Zero. However, a $50 off sale on a device that already undercuts the competition by around $200 is very, very telling.

B&N did lots of $20 off sales on its $269 Nook HD+ and also did a $70 off sale at Staples for one day. Combine this with the rumors that iPad Mini cut into iPad sales. We add these data-points to the Kindle Fire fire sales and we get a picture of a Tablet world dominated by iPad Minis. A scenario that hurts everyone (including Apple, since iPad Minis perhaps make 1/4th the per-unit profit of the iPhone and 1/2 the per-unit profit of the iPad (estimates)).

Kindle Fire Sales Estimates, Kindle Fire HD Sales Estimates based on Google Traffic Trends

Right off the bat let’s point out that interest doesn’t indicate intent, and intent doesn’t indicate a sale. Additionally, users would also have been searching for other gifts (instead of Tablets) and for Tablet comparisons.

So, even if Tablet 1 sees as many searches as Tablet 2, it might sell far less if Tablet 2 comes across as a much better choice.

Here are data points from a few searches:

  1. If we compare ‘kindle’ with ‘kindle fire’ with ‘ipad’ with ‘ipad mini’, we get that iPad Mini interest was around three times that of Kindle Fire interest for most of November 2012. Then it was around 40% more in December (except for 3 or so days when interest was equal). iPad interest was a steady 4 to 5 times that of Kindle interest. Nook interest was 40% to 60% that of Kindle Fire (which makes sense given that B&N said sales will miss projections). Note: Comparing 2 letter keywords with 1 letter keywords is VERY inefficient. So anyone who compares ‘kindle’ searches with ‘ipad mini’ searches, their analysis should be taken with a pinch of salt (as should this post).
  2. The Chart comparing ‘Kindle Fire’ and ‘iPad Mini’ searches is very telling. Apart from Christmas Day, and one or two days in early December (perhaps during the $50 off sale), the interest in iPad Mini is 2 to 3 times the interest in Kindle Fire in November and 1.75 to 2 times in December. Combine this with iPad having 4 to 5 times the amount of interest Kindle has, and we can derive some interesting conclusions.

If we assume iPad Mini sold 2 times Kindle Fire we’d get figures like 15 million iPad Mini sales and 7.5 million Kindle Fire sales. However, we also have to factor in 4 times more interest in iPad than in Kindle.

That suggests we might have a 3:1 ratio between iPad Mini sales and Kindle Fire sales.

Which gives us: 5 million Kindle Fire sales (assuming 15 million iPad Mini sales).

Reliability: Close to Zero.

Why is it that all methods give us a range of 4 million to 5 million Kindle Fires sold?

Here are our estimates -

  1. Reviews – 4.25 million to 5.75 million Kindle Fires and Kindle Fire HDs sold.
  2. Tablet Browser Share – 4 million to 5 million Kindle Fires and Kindle Fire HDs sold.
  3. Various Data Points like Firesales - 3 million to 4 million Kindle Fires and Kindle Fire HDs sold.
  4. Google Traffic Trends: 5 million Kindle Fires sold.

If we throw out (or average out) the two outlier ranges (5 million to 5.75 million; 3 million to 4 million) we get an extremely tight range – 4 million to 5 million Kindle Fires and Kindle Fire HDs sold so far. With the highest likelihood being a figure of around 4.7 million.

Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD Sales Estimates: 4 million to 5 million devices.

Most Probable Figure for Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD Sales: 4.7 million.

Reliability: Close to Zero. However, all these methods giving us such a tight range (3 million to 5.75 million) increases our chances of being right from 5% to 20%. They suggest that Amazon did indeed sell around 4.7 million Kindle Fires and Kindle Fire HDs.

Filed under: Kindle Fire | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Top 10 Kindle Fire HD Issues & Solutions + Workarounds

Posted on December 28, 2012 by switch11

If you just got a Kindle Fire HD you might run into one of the Top 10 Kindle Fire HD Issues listed below. Well, here are solutions and workarounds for the Top 10 Kindle Fire HD issues you might run into.

Issue #1 – How to Get Flash working on Kindle Fire HD

Courtesy Laura M. Dean. Note: Also works for Kindle Fire 2.

Option 1: Go to this forum thread on Installing Flash on Kindle Fire HD and follow the instructions.

Note: ES File Explorer is a good app to get in general.

Option 2: Just follow these steps and links from Meya:

* Install ES File Explorer: ES File Explorer
* Install Dolpin. The most current version of Dolphin won’t work. You need the 8.5.1 version. You get Dolphin here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1787595

* The file downloads. You’ll get a Notification that it did.
* Launch ES File Explorer, and look in the Downloads folder. You’ll see the Dolphin icon…tap it to install. You get Flash here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1771463

Please Note: Adobe has discontinued Flash on Android starting with Android 4.0. So when using flash you might be vulnerable to various security threats. Please DO NOT visit sketchy sites.

Issue #2 – The Book/Movie/App I bought does not download

First, make sure WiFi is on and working. You can check this by quickly going to a website and ensuring it loads.

Second, slide down from the center top of the screen to bring up the Settings Quick Menu. Press on ‘Sync’.

If this doesn’t work.

Third, go to the particular section of your Kindle where your new content should have arrived (If you are missing an app, go to Apps). Each of these sections has a ‘Cloud’ tab and a ‘Device’ tab. They are at the top center of the screen. Tap on ‘Cloud’ tab. Then press and hold on the icon of the app that hasn’t downloaded for 2-3 seconds. You will get a menu that gives you a few options – Choose ‘Download’ (Important: Do not press ‘Delete from Cloud’).

Fourth, if none of the above have worked then go to the Amazon.com website and hold your mouse over ‘Your Account’ at the top right (it’s right net to ‘Join Prime’ and the ‘Shopping Cart’. Choose ‘Your Android Apps & Devices’ or ‘Your Video Library’ or the appropriate link. Then send the thing you bought to your Kindle Fire HD from that page.

Issue #3 – What Charger(s) can I use with my Kindle Fire HD? What is Best?

Warning: None of this is FDA or FCC approved or whoever it is that approves chargers. Use with caution. Thanks to jsh1120, Del, and others.

  1. The Amazon ‘FastCharger’ is a good option but it’s a bit more expensive than comparable chargers. Note: Most wall chargers rated at 5V/1.8Amps will charge your Kindle Fire HD just as fast as the ‘FastCharger’. Many new cellphone chargers qualify. This PowerGen Dual Port Charger is a good option (thanks to jsh1120 for the recommendation). It’s $9.99. Note: Chargers like these will charge the Kindle Fire HD in 4 hours.
  2. Wall plugs that are less than 1.8 Amps will work but will be slower. This might take 6 to 12 hours.
  3. The charger from Kindle Fire 1 will charge the Kindle Fire HD, but slower.
  4. Charging from a PC using the USB cable is the slowest method. Also, if you are using the Kindle Fire HD while it is plugged in that will not really charge since running the Kindle Fire HD will take more charge than the USB cable supplies. This might take 8 to 12 hours.

The PowerGen Dual Port Charger seems like the best option to me.

Issue #4 – How to get Email to work

Firstly, there’s a pre-installed email App. It works quite well. If that doesn’t work for you, then you can get one of the following email apps -

  1. K9 Email. Recommended. Heard very good things about it. Also works with Verizon and Comcast emails.
  2. Hotmail by Microsoft.
  3. Yahoo Mail by Yahoo.
  4. Touchdown for Tablet by NitroDesk. You need an Exchange ID for this.

Another App worth trying is -

  1. WhatsApp Text Messenger.

Issue #5 – How do I get the latest Kindle Fire HD software update

Option 1: Connect your Kindle Fire HD to WiFi. Then leave it alone and let it go to sleep. It will automatically update.

Option 2: If the automatic update doesn’t happen for some reason, then visit the Kindle Fire Software Updates Page and follow the steps there -

Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ Software Update

Kindle Fire HD 7″ Software Update

Kindle Fire 1 and Kindle Fire 2 Software Updates

Issue #6 – Kindle Fire HD will not turn on

First, unplug it from the charger or computer if it is plugged in. Then press and hold the power button for 20 seconds. That will turn it off. Then press the power button again to turn on your Kindle Fire HD.

If that doesn’t work, it means your Kindle Fire HD might be out of battery. Plug it into the wall charger and wait for 30 to 60 minutes. Then try to turn it on.

This is what Amazon says:

Charge your Kindle Fire for 30 minutes. If it is still unresponsive, unplug it from the power source and hold the power button for 20 seconds. After the Kindle Fire turns off, press the power button again to turn it back on.

Can’t think of anything else.

Issue #7 – Netflix and/or Prime Instant Videos are not working

If you run into issues with some shows not working or some shows not being ‘rewatchable’, try this (courtesy Carole and Old Rocker and David at the official Kindle Forums) -

  1. Make sure you are using the ‘Netflix’ App and not the website.
  2. Restart your Kindle Fire.
  3. Make sure you have the latest version of Netflix. To check – Go to Apps Page. Click on Store on Top Right to go to App Store. Click on Settings button (it’ll be at the right center or at the bottom center (depending on whether you are in Landscape or Portrait Mode). Tap on ‘App Updates’. If there is a new version of Netflix you’ll be given the option to update to it.
  4. Reboot your router (wait one minute before restarting it).
  5. Clear the Netflix Cache. Go to Settings, then More,  then Applications, then click on Installed Applications, then make sure drop-down shows All Applications, then find Netflix and tap on it. Then choose ‘Clear Data’ and then ‘Clear Cache’. Search for Netflix in Store and choose ‘Uninstall’. Then Install.

One of these should work.

Issue #8 – Kindle Fire HD won’t connect to WiFi

First, the obvious things -

  1. Turn wireless router on and off.
  2. Turn Kindle Fire HD on and off.
  3. Go to WiFi screen. You can do this by swiping down from the time. Then choose Wireless. Then Tap on the Network you are connected to. Then Tap ‘Forget’. Then tap on Network again. Then re-enter login information.

Second, more things -

  1. Each router has a page that lets you access the Settings. It’s something like 192.168.1.1 (varies for different companies). Go to this page and then tweak the settings. Try to see if choosing a different band or setting lets your Kindle Fire HD connect.
  2. Check out the Amazon FAQ for Kindle Fire and WiFi.

Issue #9 – How to Play Your Own Movies on Kindle Fire HD 8.9″

Kindle Fire HD comes with an internal video player. However, it doesn’t work very well with some movies and with some movie formats.

You have a few options -

  1. MovieGallery by Tools4Movies. Heard good things about this.
  2. aVia Movie Player.
  3. Watch Movies Now Lite by Drazon.
  4. Skifta – Lets you stream videos from your PC or phone or media server to your Kindle Fire HD.
  5. BS Player Lite. A well reviewed movie player.
  6. MoboPlayer - You’ll have to sideload this.

Interesting video related Apps -

  1. Movies by Flixster.
  2. TubeMode - YouTube Movie Downloader.

Issue #10 – How do I organize my Books into Collections

There are three good options (though they might not meet your exact needs) -

  1. Calibre. This is an excellent, free ebook management software and it includes the ability to create shelves.
  2. GoodReads. This site lets you create shelves.
  3. Shelfari. This is another site that lets you create shelves.

Please Note: Some of these are not on your Kindle Fire HD.

Closing Thoughts on Kindle Fire HD Sales

According to various reports, the Kindle Fire HD had an exceptional holiday season and has a chance of becoming the Pepsi to the iPad Mini’s Coca Cola. If Amazon can pull out a few more tricks like adding great speakers and claiming ‘Kindle Fire is the best tablet … at any price’ then Kindle Fire HD might very well establish itself as a strong #2 in the Tablet Market.

Filed under: Kindle Fire | Tagged: , , | 13 Comments »

Kindle Fire Predictions for 2013 (Kindle Fire 3)

Posted on December 15, 2012 by switch11

My predictions for Kindle Fire for 2013 -

The Bloody iPad Mini Wars in mid 2013

Apple is in a bit of a Profitability Pickle right now. It’s going to make very strong moves in 2013 and a Retina iPad Mini is possible. If not a Retina iPad Mini, a lower priced iPad Mini 1. The iPad Mini Wars will be a war of survival for the Kindle Fire. My prediction is that Kindle Fire will survive but be very badly damaged and that we’ll see huge Kindle Fire sales. We’ve already seen $50 off coupons on the already cheap $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and lots of discounts of $20 on Nook HD+.

In 2013, we will see a lot more Kindle Fire firesales.

Kindle Fire 3 Knocks it out of the Ballpark

In 2013, the new Kindle Fire, the Kindle Fire 3, will arrive and it will get a lot of things right. If you recall the eInk Kindle 3 – it really was beautiful. It hasn’t been bettered in my opinion. Seattle companies are good at V3 of their products. The next generation of Kindle Fire, the Kindle Fire 3, will be really, really good.

Amazon makes a huge grab for the Nook business

Reality is that Kindle Fire and Nook are weakening each other. There is a very strong niche for a Tablet meant for readers and movies and music. A Tablet for users in love with an easy shopping experience.

However, it isn’t big enough to support profits for lots of companies.

Google has played the great trick of convincing hardware vendors to make zero profits on devices that make Google money through search. That leaves Apple, Amazon, B&N, and a few select vendors smart enough to actually make money for themselves from Tablets.

Apple will probably remain first for 2 to 3 years (not longer because Apple’s need for profitability will drive it insane once the profits drop). That leaves the ‘Pepsi Spot’ for 2013 and 2014. Amazon is the natural heir but B&N is a HUGE thorn in Amazon’s side. It prevents Amazon from reaching economies of scale quickly enough to compete against the big Giant Tablets.

Amazon should, and will, make a grab for Nook Media as soon as Nook Media is a separate company.

Huge Shift to In-App Purchases in Kindle Fire App Store

Expect to see a lot of changes that encourage In-App revenues and developers who focus on In-App revenues -

  1. A Top Grossing List.
  2. Focus on In-App purchases in both free and paid apps.
  3. A huge increase in the amount of money apps make for Amazon and developers. Thus more focus on the App Store, and within the App Store, more focus on in-app purchases.

The interesting thing about in-app purchases is that the same person who won’t spend $1 to buy a game will get the free version and then spend $25 to buy stuff to ‘enhance’ the experience.

It’s a race to see who can sell users ‘services’ and ‘enhancements’ and ‘tricks’ the most effectively.

This might be a strange thing to put down as Kindle Fire prediction for 2013. However, it will affect Kindle Fire 3 and the Kindle Fire 3 ecosystem in a lot of ways. Software often dictates the evolution of hardware (and vica versa).

Books become relatively unimportant for Amazon (for revenue and profit purposes)

Kindle Fire is going to start selling more and more while Kindle Readers will sell less.

This will shift Amazon’s priorities for Kindles drastically.

People will be buying electronics and movies and music and apps and books from their Kindle Fires. Out of those, books will gradually see less and less usage because other things are EASIER to do on a Kindle Fire. The path of least resistance on a Tablet is not reading.

Amazon will start adjusting to this.

Why sell a user a $9 book that takes up 4 to 10 hours of the users’ time when you can sell the user -

  1. Stuff that is much more expensive.
  2. Stuff that is much more expensive when you consider money spent per hour of entertainment.

Unfortunately, Books will lose priority gradually.

Amazon doubles down on Screen and Sound

Kindle Fire HD is remarkable in that it did a really good job on Screen Quality and Sound Quality. To the point that it rivals iPad in one and beats iPad in the other.

Amazon is going to double down on both because it allows Kindle Fire HD to become an even better device to consume movies and music and books.

Kindle Fire is positioned against the iPad Again

Kindle Fire and Amazon got so much mileage out of the ‘Best Tablet at any price’ claim that it would be madness to not go up against iPad again.

A fundamental part of the Apple-loving tech press’ psyche is the need to show their perceived superiority. A challenge to that will never go unanswered – even if it means free publicity for Kindle Fire and the gradual erosion of the ‘Tablet = iPad’ association they themselves have built up.

‘Kindle Fire vs iPad’ will be a dominant theme in 2013 too.

A Kindle Fire with an IGZO Screen

Amazon has shown with the LTE capable Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ model that it isn’t afraid of going right after iPad.

It’ll continue that trend by bringing a Kindle Fire 3 IGZO to market. IGZO screens offer a huge advantage over existing LCD screens and will be enough of a jump to make Kindle Fire 3 IGZO the best Tablet for watching movies. iPad Mini 2 will probably not have IGZO because Apple will save it for iPad 5. Nook HD 2 (Nook 4 if we consider it’ll be the 4th Nook Tablet) might have it.

IGZO = Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide.

Huge Price Cuts with Kindle Fire 3 and Kindle Fire HD

Firstly, price cuts on the Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ will be necessitated by the iPad Mini Wars in mid 2013. $199 Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is almost inevitable.

Secondly, Amazon doesn’t really have that many advantages. iPad has more apps, it has more ‘association’ with Tablets, it has better looks, it has better brand recognition. What Amazon does have is a large customer base and the ability to compete on price and on factors other companies have ignored or missed (like sound quality).

Kindle Fire 3 will have a very low price (for what you are getting).

Kindle Fire 3 will get two new family members - Kindle Phone and either a Kindle TV or a Kindle PC

Roger Knights pointed out a very important thing – Users who own a Phone/Tablet from a particular company/ecosystem are more likely to buy a Tablet/Phone from the same company/ecosystem.

We’ve also gone into reasons why it’s very likely that Amazon will release a Kindle Phone in 2013 in our post on Kindle Phone and Kindle TV.

Amazon will keep expanding the Kindle ecosystem and we’ll have partner devices that arrive alongside Kindle Fire 3. This will strengthen Kindle Fire 3 and also make it ‘stickier’. You get Kindle owners more and more immersed into the Kindle ecosystem if you ship more and more good, useful devices.

Bonus Prediction: A BIG change in the Tablet Market, which will affect Kindle Fire 3 drastically

There are two possibilities here:

  1. Windows 8 Tablets and Android Tablets become stronger and damage iPad. This fragments the market and means that most Amazon customers stick with Kindle Fire. This will be great news for Kindle Fire 3.
  2. Apple counters the New Tablets by aggressively pricing both iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2. This would strengthen the Apple iPad ecosystem and increase its lead. This would be very damaging for Kindle Fire 3.

It’s almost delicious, the predicament Apple is stuck in. It could fight for market share and lose profits in the near term. It could fight for profits and lose market share permanently. In either case, Apple’s decision will affect Kindle Fire 3 drastically.

If Apple chooses profits over market share, then, in the long term, Kindle Fire will benefit tremendously. It might even become a very strong #2 in the Tablet Market. If Apple chooses market share then Kindle Fire 3 might be the last Kindle Fire that sells well.

Filed under: Kindle Fire | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

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