len_mullen

This is a tough assignment. Isn't this really short term or setup cost? The PS3, Xbox, and WII only compare in that each play video games. The PS3 and Xbox also stream Netflix is HD while the WII is only SD. The Xbox requires an additional subscription fee to stream Netflix (which adds to long term cost). Only the PS3 is also a BD player. For someone looking at these things, the cost of the Xbox and especially the WII setup will be much higher than the cost of the console. If you are talking about long term cost, it's probably a good idea to estimate the cost of a list of top games. These tend to cost most for the PS3 and least for the WII.

for people looking for a 10" tab, jr.com has a 32g tab with cameras et al for <$300.

You just need to find one that runs windows -- acer makes an inexpensive one. Google windows tablets and click the shopping filter to find a bunch. FWIW, there are four inexpensive apps (office suite, quickoffice, smart office, and documents to go) that allow you to create and edit office docs on most android devices and, of course, there is google docs.

It seems like I have had this Fire forever. There are some things I hope they improve upon, but, overall, I am very happy with the device, Prime, and the level of unofficial support. Last night I brought it to my sister's house. Her inlaws were there and they are e-readers. Nana has a kindle and Pa has a nook. His is wifi only and hers is 3g. Both were taken with the Fire. He liked her kindle, but had a lot invested in B&N content and they actually exchanged devices from time to time to increase their library's depth. This morning, I installed the nook app on my Fire and it works great. I think they will be very excited about this. Since the Fire came home, my beloved Kindle has been collecting dust. Part of me wants to abandon it for a Fire...part of me knows better. When the battery ran out on my Fire, my youngest decided to investigate the Kindle. Within minutes he was enjoying some games. I was reminded about how much I value long battery life -- especially when traveling. I got an email from buy.com this morning. The 16g Playbook is down to <$200 and it has a case/stand with full keyboard for <$43. http://www.buy.com/prod/blackberry-playbook-prd-38548-003-7-64-gb-tablet-computer-wi-fi-1-ghz/221285920.html http://www.buy.com/prod/leather-stand-case-w-wireless-bluetooth-keyboard-for-blackberry/225255432.html There are good reviews for the Playbook with it's hdmi out, gps, and dual cameras. http://www.berryreview.com/2011/01/09/blackberry-playbook-has-two-charging-ports-usb-and-magnetic/ Most glaring criticism seems to be that it is not an android device (read the comments too). http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/252476/20111118/kindle-199-blackberry-playbook.htm Then again, it does run android apps http://www.berryreview.com/2011/07/21/how-to-sideload-android-apps-for-playbook-android-player-netflix-example/ and will runs most of them by february http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/blackberry-playbook-20-android-support-a-work-in-progress/19118 this is very tempting for me personally. what do you think?

My kids love reading -- especially my youngest. He rarely climbs in bed or a car without a book in his hands. I thought he would love my kindle, but he does not like it at all. The fire is much more attractive with its games and videos. Take your kids to Staples or Best Buy and let them play with all the tablets and readers. You'll figure out what they like pretty quick.

Replacing a DVD player with a tab is going to be expensive and/or a lot of work. You need to get your movies in a format that the tab can play and fit those files in the tab's memory or tether a mass storage device that will hold up under road conditions. Easiest solution would be to get one that download appropriately formatted media or stream via 3/4g, but that would also be the most expensive solution. If you can live without the movies, you can fit a lot of games and books on a Fire. If you want movies on the go, you may be better off with a 3/4g device that can stream media on the road.

I like the transformer and think it could pull off the everyday computer role if it ran windows (next year there should be a win8 transformer), but a student will be more productive with a machine that runs windows and has a keyboard and mouse. Get an inexpensive laptop ($300) for school work and look at the $79 kindle for reading -- that will tide you over until the win8 transformer is available.

I thought most of the apps were suitable for a seven year old. If you select the kids category, there are 127 games and 1346 educational titles. Some will not be age appropriate and some will not run on the fire, but do some browsing and see if you cannot find enough to thrill your 7yo.

I stopped by Staples to grab one this morning. They were still waiting for the shipment to arrive. When I returned to the store after work, Fire posters were in the windows and there was a demo unit on display. After playing with the demo unit for a half hour, I bought two. I used Discover cash back to pay for the Fires, so my cost was $160/unit (Discover lets you purchase $25 Staples gift cards for $20). My Fires were #2 and #3 sold at that store, so they are not exactly flying off the shelves. (The manager told me they were dead for the BF preview event last Sunday.) I unboxed the unit when I got home. It was bigger and heavier than I expected. It's not TOO big or TOO heavy -- just a little bigger and a lot heavier than the Kindle I have been carrying around for a month. You won't slip it in a shirt pocket, but it easily slides into my front or back pants pocket which is nice if you are dashing through an airport. Setup took just a few minutes. The keyboard is much better than my Storm2. Turns out bigger really is better and I like that the pressed key pops up above my fingertip as I type. It was painless to enter my wireless password and amazon credentials. My library loaded almost immediately. The Fire is a good ereader. It works in both orientations and the sepia color scheme is very comfortable for me. When you click a link in a book, the web integration is much better than on my Kindle. I loaded the free Netflix app and watched an episode of The Office. This caught the interest of my oldest. He had 'no interest' in any tablet until tonight (he has a 14" laptop and a Droid2 phone), but monopolized the Fire for a full five hours. He gave Prime a thumbs up (better app than netflix and a surprisingly large library), installed some games (including a free version of Angry Birds), and surfed the web. My wife also used the Fire for a half hour declaring it, "Awesome." I didn't carefully measure the battery life, but 7-8 hours seems to be right on. College Boy returns to school tomorrow. I'll give this thing a thorough once over and post a followup. My first impressions are very positive.

I have the kindle. Very happy. Battery lasts forever. I can slide it into a back or front pants pocket and most shirt pockets. No touch, so no fingerprints. And, at $79, it's not something you worry about losing or breaking. I slid it off a table onto a ceramic floor without consequence. Paired with Libre, this is a great news reader and I can upload my own documents. Browser works better than expected.

When I bought my 50" plasma, the premium was $12/month with the TV on 12 hours/day. Well worth it for the difference in picture quality.

I wanted to love this, but it is a little too big, a little too pokey, and a little too hard to use as a tablet. If you want to gesture and poke, and really want windows, better to wait for win8, I think.

for the line: beach balls, yo-yos, baseball caps, shopping bags, insulated travel mugs; for the office: laser pointers, ceramic mugs. PS the hoodie has to have 'it you can read this..." on the back.

You should post more information about your situation. How far will you sit from the set? Are there windows in the room? curtains? what is your budget? what do you watch? If you have $1000 to spend on a set that you will sit at least six feet from in a room with little glare, dell.com has a 60" 1080p set that will amaze you.

not a good topic to discuss here, of course, but shopping needs and habits change. I have never camped out, and buy less than ever on BF, but I enjoy going out early and shopping with the crowds. Sometimes I get a good deal too!

I flew today. Before I left home, I uploaded my itinerary and started to sync the kindle up to all the papers and magazines I subscribe to via Calibre. I finished syncing at the airport while 'thumbing through' the LA Times and the Boston Globe. Once I boarded the plane, I opened my laptop to do a couple hours of work. All the time, this guy is playing Missle Command on a tablet...without a trackball...lol. I kept sneaking a glance to see if it was an iPad or an Android. When he finally powered it off, there was an apple on the sleeve, so...iPad I guess. I fly a lot and see a lot of apples in the aisles. Most are playing media or games. I guess you *can* work on an iPad so long as there is not too much typing and your work only involves apps for the iPad, but not a go for me. I'm going to content myself with a laptop and kindle until next year when Asus introduces a Win8 transformer. We've had this kindle since day 1 (it's the $79 model because I hate fingerprints). Wife is warm to it and my kids do not like it at all. Oldest has a droid 2 and is waiting for something special, but the Fire is attractive to #2 and Mom. I could be coaxed to do a nook or even a $200 ideapad or some other inexpensive but high quality android tab since I have $0 in my kindle library. But I suspect Fire+Prime will be the best bang in portable entertainment. I think, go2girl, you might also be

I would shop for a TV that pleases you for image quality. If you find one that includes internet toys, great. If not, get a BD player with that functionality. It'll be one more step to netflix, but compromising on image quality to get a TV in your price range with internet access is not a good compromise, IMHO. That said, if you can go to $375, this might be a great TV for you... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M8SAMQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

My favorite thing about BF is the comraderie. After a few years the line in front of Staples became a social circle as the same faces returned each year. At a different level, I am enjoying doing BF with my oldest son. We do a little shopping then have breakfast. Reminds me of when I used to shop with my dad.

BF is me time. One year I brought my sister, but she really stretched out my day. Last year #1 son joined me. We had a good time and he plans to come along again this year.

best tablet is the asus transformer and they have a more powerful model ready to release to retail.

I post this in tribute to one of my favorite Cincinnati rib joints -- Burbanks on Dowlin Drive in Sharonville. When I visited, I stayed at a neighboring hotel with a hole in the fence because it was convenient to slip through for dinner. Duke's Drunken Steak, Momma 'n Em's Southern Fried Farm Raised Cafish, Smoked Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Collard Greens, and, of course... Miss Carol's Sweet Potato Casserole! Yield: 8 servings. 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes 1/2 c. white sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 stick margarine, melted 1/2 c. raisins (optional) 1/2 c. milk 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. light brown sugar 1/2 c. flour 1 c. chopped nuts 1/3 stick margarine Mix first eight ingredients together and place in 9×9 glass pan. Mix remaining ingredients and spread on top of potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Recipe may be doubled. Enjoy! We started serving this Thanksgiving after I found the recipe on the web. Now you have it too!

To be clear, my interest would be in one that said "if you can read this..." on the back. I'll be here next year. consider this a pre-order.

I think that signal is going to look bad on most HD sets. They are the wrong shape and would have to scale the picture. If you are not willing to upgrade the box, wait to get the new set. If you REALLY want HD and cannot afford HD Satellite, consider OTA. It's free once you install an antenna and run cables and such.

what was the price estimate for a hoodie? i froze my butt off wearing the t in nh last year ;-)

There are word/text processing for the ipad. For me, the onscreen keyboard is better suited to textin than word processing. That means a keyboard of some kind would be required. These have to be bluetooth/expensive. i would look at the highly acclaimed, much less expensive asus transformer coupled with the keyboard docking station which also doubles battery life.