[quote=“cfimages”]They do have a tablet model called the Kindle Fire that is color and does basically everything an iPad does. Unfortunately, that’s not the one you mention. AFAIK, the Kindle Keyboard lets you read books and make notes. There aren’t any DRM restrictions with the device, meaning you can use any files it can read including PDFs, stuff you download elsewhere - Google books, torrents etc, but there may be DRM restrictions on stuff you buy from Amazon (I’m not sure).
If you don’t read for pleasure, then I’d guess it may not be very useful.[/quote]
The Amazon Kindle Fire has a color screen and it’s just recently been released. But, according to reviews, it’s a P.O.S. and won’t be able to challenge the Ipad 2, except for price. Low price = low quality. 
[quote=“Tom’s Guide to Gadgets on 12-12-2011”]
Some Amazon Kindle Fires Brick Right Out of the Box
Holiday shoppers who plan to gift Amazon’s Kindle Fire may want to make sure the tablet survives the initial firmware upgrade before wrapping it up as a present.
There’s good reason for tablet and personal computer manufacturers to be afraid of the Amazon Kindle Fire: it’s zippy, it’s lightweight, it supports Android apps and direct streaming of Amazon’s Instant Videos. Oh and it’s really cheap too, making it one heck of a deal this holiday season… and why online and local retailers are having a hard time keeping units in stock.
If anything, the Kindle Fire – not to mention HP’s TouchPad which sold out again on Sunday in just twenty minutes – indicates that consumers want a powerful handheld for surfing, playing games, consuming media and socializing without having to pay laptop and desktop-sized fees.
That said, there’s a dark side to the Kindle Fire phenomena. Consumers lucky enough to get their hands on a unit before Christmas might actually want to test the device first before wrapping it all up in a pretty bow and sticking it under the tree. Based on first-hand experience, the device can brick itself after installing the initial firmware update.
Upon hitting the power switch, the tablet goes into automatic update mode after the user supplies access to the local network and Amazon account login credentials. Once registered, it immediately checks with the Amazon update server, and then downloads and installs the required software. After that, the tablet reboots and could remain indefinitely frozen – or “bricked” – at the “Kindle Fire” logo screen.
The first thing Amazon requests in this situation is for the user hold down the power button 20 to 30 seconds to reboot, then power it back on. If the problem persists, then the user should let the tablet charge for a few hours. This aspect was a little confusing, as an Amazon rep said to leave the device powered on while still plugged in and charging (seems to defeat the purpose), showing the Kindle Fire logo on the screen – it will reboot into the UI once there’s enough charge.
But after four hours that never happened, and then after another three hours with the unit turned off and plugged into the charger, the device still froze at the logo screen. During all this time, there’s no indication that the tablet is even charging because the power LED does not come on until the unit is actually powered on (the LED will switch to orange if the device is on and plugged into the wall).
After a second round with an Amazon representative, it was determined that the “device has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced.” Amazon was happy to send a new unit, but required a credit card number first to secure the bricked tablet and its journey back to Amazon HQ. This method of product replacement is typical, but for those who don’t even trust their own mother with a credit card number, this method is unacceptable. In this particular instance, the Kindle Fire was returned to Walmart in exchange for another unit (the last one in the city too according to a clerk). The second tablet updated without a hitch just hours ago and currently functions correctly, but there’s no promise that the bricking incident wont happen again in a future update – literally bricking out-of-the-box killed consumer confidence.
During the initial update process with the first Kindle Fire unit, an investigative search through Amazon’s Kindle forum revealed numerous complaints on the same scwenario, indicating that this is an ongoing problem – one that Amazon is resolving by replacing entire units. “Mine is doing the same thing and started right after I updated the software,” one forum member said almost one month ago. “Now it won’t do anything but display ‘kindle fire’ in the middle of the screen. There are several other discussions in the Kindle Forum on this same subject.”
“Got my Kindle Fire! But got a problem, Help!” reports another forum post. “I did: power on. Started. Wi-Fi connected. Completed download upgrade. After getting restart (auto). “Kindle Fire” on center of screen. For long time (over hours). Follow help guide, hold power button for 20 sec. Hard power off kindle. Then press power button on, see “Kindle Fire” on the screen. unresponsive for long time again.”
“Looks like I got a bum Kindle also,” reads another. “Started up fine, but after the update, it immediately goes to the “kindle fire” page and will not budge. Charged, did the hard restart and still nothing. Called CS and they don’t have any idea how to fix it.”
During our first tech support call, one Amazon representative said that our own experience with an update-related bricked Kindle Fire was one of the first received after the release of Kindle Software Update Version 6.2, meaning that the firmware issue still persists, and as seen in the Kindle forums, can even happen after downloading an ebook or installing an application. “After setting up my fire and even downloading my first book and started reading it, I turned it off and now I have a black screen with words Kindle fire and won’t go away,” one forum member said.
As previously stated, consumers who purchased the Kindle Fire tablet as a Christmas gift may want to go ahead and check the device before waiting until Christmas morning. If it’s for a friend or a family member outside the home, consumers can setup and update the device using their Amazon account, and then simply de-register in the My Account section. Naturally this “bricking” problem may not be present on all tablets – so far our second Kindle Fire is still up and running even after the firmware update – but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious, especially if the tablet is to be opened and used on Christmas morning. No one likes to get a bag of coal or a box of bricks.[/quote]
IMHO if you have someone in the USA to send it to who it will post it on to you, this is the way to go!
Suggestions, please.