We were visiting family recently and I mentioned having bought my wife the new Kindle Fire. I was asked if it was an early Christmas present, and when I replied "no," the reply came back: "Oh, it's an 'I Love My Wife' present." Yup.
There are a ton of reviews out about the new Kindle Fire--the features, the UI, the cloud computing (and fast browser), all of it. However, I want to cover it from a different angle.
Unlike a lot of other Apple products, there were a lot of very spot-on rumors in the IT world about what was coming: a tablet by Apple. Though the rumors were accurate, the reactions of most of these people to the iPad's reveal missed the point. They focused on the lack of power, extendable memory, USB ports and other details. They complained that it focused too much on the consumption of content rather than creating it.--that it was a dumbed-down device not worthy to be called a proper "tablet".
Well, that's the point.
Whatever you want to say about Steve Jobs, he understood that iPads would beat existing tablets the same way that the iPhone beat out Blackberry and other smart phones, and for the same reason: they are fundamentally different devices that appeal to a far broader range of people.
And so, Apple has gone and sold thirty million iPads. Why? Because having a great big touchscreen that lets you surf the web, look at your pictures, watch movies and play some games is a great product and people will shell out $500 for the base model. I'm not much of an Apple guy myself, but did I want one? Oh, yes I did. Did I ever get one? Nope.
$500.
That's a lot to spend on something that you don't really need (to whatever extent we really need computers). I've got a desktop and a laptop, and I'm in no hurry to drop half a grand on something that is just for fun. A lot of fun, admittedly, but only fun. However, when my wife's laptop died and the repair estimates kept coming back around $200, I took it as a sign that we could spend a little.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, I see a lot of the same people who complained about the iPad when it was revealed are now complaining about the Kindle Fire. It's got less memory, the battery isn't quite as small, it doesn't have a camera (on that last point, I consider it a plus--have you seen someone hold up an iPad to take a picture? Consider the absence a gift to your dignity). And you know what? We couldn't care less.
We use it to surf the web (including Facebook--great app), view pictures, watch an occasional video and play some games. And you know what? That's what iPad users are doing 95% of the time, except they spent $300 more on it. The screen is easy on my eyes and the video looks great. The Amazon Prime video library is pretty robust, and I've had some fun watching old episodes of Julia Child that I can't find elsewhere. The Netflix app works great as well.
The web surfing is fast and responsive, and I've been surprised at how much typing my wife easily does on it (the size of the screen makes it feel like a large smartphone keyboard). I honestly don't know what people are talking about when they say that the Kindle app lags--I've been using it since day 1 and haven't experienced any issues.
The size? Love it. It feels very solidly built, and I like how well I can hold it in one hand and maneuver it. It's got a rubber coating on the sides and back, and I can actually prop it up against a fairly light object (like the salt and pepper grinders on our dining room table) and know that it won't slide down. Oh, and by the way--when people talk about how you can fit it into your pocket: you can (I never realized that men's jeans/pants pockets had that much space in them, but it's true). Between the small size and price, we end up bringing it to a lot of places that we otherwise might not want to bring an iPad or other expensive piece of electronics. The fact that it uses a regular USB plug for recharging helps, too.
The only thing I wish it did better (and maybe there's a way around this and I just don't know it) is handle time away from wiifi. Unlike some models of the iPad, the Kindle Fire only comes with Wifi connectivity--even if we wanted to, we couldn't get one with a cellular connection. The closest we could do would be to pay for tethering/mobile wiifi hotspot on one of our cell phones. It's usually not a big deal, but when we're going to be in the car for a long drive to see family, it would be nice if we could somehow pre-load some streaming content onto the device to enjoy on the drive. We could always pay for the full downloads, but (a) the device's somewhat limited storage space makes this difficult, and (b) that costs extra. It's nothing close to a deal killer, but it would definitely be nice if something could be worked out.
In the end, I think it's an absolute steal for the money. For just $200, we have a small, easy to handle, lightweight tablet that runs the web, displays books and magazines, plays games and video whenever we want. It's easy to use, holds a solid charge, and is inexpensive enough that we can take it everywhere without worrying if we lose it.
All in all, a perfect "I Love My Wife" gift.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Where Else Could I Start?
Given that it's how most people start their day each and every day, I think it makes sense to start with coffee. At our house, we have two parallel methods for brewing java, both of which are extremely effective in their own way. The first one is a Keurig model, which we use for our day-to-day coffee needs.
A little pricey, true, but that's what wedding registries are for. As you can see, there's a large water tank on the side which can handle multiple cups. What is less obvious is the digital readout on the side and the easy variety of options it gives you. It offers up multiple size options, as well as the ability to adjust the temperature and preset brewing time.
We've had great luck with ours, and what they tell you about the versatility really is true. With this one machine (read: only taking up one amount of space in the kitchen), not only can we do our daily coffee (which is fast, easy and impossible to burn yourself--definitely three good things first thing in the morning), but we can keep a box of decaf around for guests. My wife loves the cider K-Cups, and we've had pretty good luck with the hot chocolate as well (though be warned: I notice a little hint of chocolate in my coffee for the first cup you make after a hot chocolate).
Actually, this new model is better than the one we got, because it comes with the My K-Cup add-on, which is a reusable K-Cup into which you can put your own favorite brand of (flavored) coffee. However, we don't use one ourselves. Rather, I've found that I like the Donut Shop coffee the best.
Not only that, but by using Amazon's Subscribe & Save, we get an extra 15% off each box. I keep the machine defaulted to 187 degrees and the small size and I get a very solid, reliable cup of coffee every time.
Of course, there are times when I'm willing to put in a little extra effort to enjoy something special, or maybe flavored (coffee snobs: don't judge me; Trader Joe's seasonal flavored coffees are excellent). However, special doesn't need to mean more expensive:
I originally found out about this from Lifehacker. The method is very simple: measure your grounds into the cylinder, pour in boiling water, mix for ten seconds, seal it up and press it down straight into your cup. Like the Keurig, it only makes one cup at a time. However, since it hits a larger amount of grounds with the hot water briefly, it draws out a lot of coffee flavor without the bitterness. Cleanup is also super easy: just remove the lid, push out the grounds (they should now resemble a hockey puck), then rinse out the plastic lid and the stirrer. Since the piston wipes the interior clean ever time, there's nothing else to worry about.
For some reason, the instructions told me to secure the paper filter in place, put the machine on top of the coffee cup and then add in the grounds and water. However, even without pressing in place, the water starts to seep through the filter before it has time to mix with the grounds. What I do instead is put the plunger just barely in, then turn it upside down before making the coffee. I then add the lid with the paper filter, then flip it over onto the cup (make sure the piston is at least a good quarter inch inside, lest you spill the coffee and grounds all over the counter).
What's that you say? It's too much of a hassle to heat up water on the stove every time you want a cup of coffee? Well, my friend, that brings us to our last item for today:
I really love this thing. In almost no time at all, it brings water to a full rolling boil, which is not only good for tea and coffee, but a variety of other uses in the kitchen as well. Making cheesecake, flan, or anything else that needs to sit in a warm water bath? This is your baby. The much-beloved (at least by anyone who's eaten them) brownie recipe from Cooks Illustrated needs boiling water, and it's great to have it on hand whenever I need it.
Plus, I learned an extra-fun little trick from Alton Brown: use it to hard boil eggs. Gently load the eggs into the kettle (I got a full dozen in there with room for a few more), add in enough water to cover them by an inch or two, and turn it on. The kettle turns itself off as soon as it hits a boil, so just wait another 10-15 minutes after that and you'll be set to go. Absolutely perfect hard boiled eggs (which I have not had much luck making otherwise).
Somewhere in a closet we do have a more traditional type of coffee maker for big parties. Of course, the size of our current dwellings puts a limit on how many people can be here, so the Keurig has worked very well for us. All in all, I don't want for lack of coffee*.
* Or espresso (yes, there is a difference), but that's another post.
UPDATE: Someone reminded me about this:
My wife got it for me for Christmas a few years ago, and it's terrific for the office. Super-simple: press the button to open, pop in a K-Cup and then fill it to the line with water, press "on" and you're set. It doesn't have the variety of settings that the big unit does, but if you've found a K-Cup you like with it, it's got a very small footprint for your desk at work (though you'll want to keep a pitcher of filtered water nearby). Loved it so much, it made the big fancy version one of the first things we added to our wedding registry. It's good stuff.
A little pricey, true, but that's what wedding registries are for. As you can see, there's a large water tank on the side which can handle multiple cups. What is less obvious is the digital readout on the side and the easy variety of options it gives you. It offers up multiple size options, as well as the ability to adjust the temperature and preset brewing time.
We've had great luck with ours, and what they tell you about the versatility really is true. With this one machine (read: only taking up one amount of space in the kitchen), not only can we do our daily coffee (which is fast, easy and impossible to burn yourself--definitely three good things first thing in the morning), but we can keep a box of decaf around for guests. My wife loves the cider K-Cups, and we've had pretty good luck with the hot chocolate as well (though be warned: I notice a little hint of chocolate in my coffee for the first cup you make after a hot chocolate).
Actually, this new model is better than the one we got, because it comes with the My K-Cup add-on, which is a reusable K-Cup into which you can put your own favorite brand of (flavored) coffee. However, we don't use one ourselves. Rather, I've found that I like the Donut Shop coffee the best.
Not only that, but by using Amazon's Subscribe & Save, we get an extra 15% off each box. I keep the machine defaulted to 187 degrees and the small size and I get a very solid, reliable cup of coffee every time.
Of course, there are times when I'm willing to put in a little extra effort to enjoy something special, or maybe flavored (coffee snobs: don't judge me; Trader Joe's seasonal flavored coffees are excellent). However, special doesn't need to mean more expensive:
I originally found out about this from Lifehacker. The method is very simple: measure your grounds into the cylinder, pour in boiling water, mix for ten seconds, seal it up and press it down straight into your cup. Like the Keurig, it only makes one cup at a time. However, since it hits a larger amount of grounds with the hot water briefly, it draws out a lot of coffee flavor without the bitterness. Cleanup is also super easy: just remove the lid, push out the grounds (they should now resemble a hockey puck), then rinse out the plastic lid and the stirrer. Since the piston wipes the interior clean ever time, there's nothing else to worry about.
For some reason, the instructions told me to secure the paper filter in place, put the machine on top of the coffee cup and then add in the grounds and water. However, even without pressing in place, the water starts to seep through the filter before it has time to mix with the grounds. What I do instead is put the plunger just barely in, then turn it upside down before making the coffee. I then add the lid with the paper filter, then flip it over onto the cup (make sure the piston is at least a good quarter inch inside, lest you spill the coffee and grounds all over the counter).
What's that you say? It's too much of a hassle to heat up water on the stove every time you want a cup of coffee? Well, my friend, that brings us to our last item for today:
I really love this thing. In almost no time at all, it brings water to a full rolling boil, which is not only good for tea and coffee, but a variety of other uses in the kitchen as well. Making cheesecake, flan, or anything else that needs to sit in a warm water bath? This is your baby. The much-beloved (at least by anyone who's eaten them) brownie recipe from Cooks Illustrated needs boiling water, and it's great to have it on hand whenever I need it.
Plus, I learned an extra-fun little trick from Alton Brown: use it to hard boil eggs. Gently load the eggs into the kettle (I got a full dozen in there with room for a few more), add in enough water to cover them by an inch or two, and turn it on. The kettle turns itself off as soon as it hits a boil, so just wait another 10-15 minutes after that and you'll be set to go. Absolutely perfect hard boiled eggs (which I have not had much luck making otherwise).
Somewhere in a closet we do have a more traditional type of coffee maker for big parties. Of course, the size of our current dwellings puts a limit on how many people can be here, so the Keurig has worked very well for us. All in all, I don't want for lack of coffee*.
* Or espresso (yes, there is a difference), but that's another post.
UPDATE: Someone reminded me about this:
My wife got it for me for Christmas a few years ago, and it's terrific for the office. Super-simple: press the button to open, pop in a K-Cup and then fill it to the line with water, press "on" and you're set. It doesn't have the variety of settings that the big unit does, but if you've found a K-Cup you like with it, it's got a very small footprint for your desk at work (though you'll want to keep a pitcher of filtered water nearby). Loved it so much, it made the big fancy version one of the first things we added to our wedding registry. It's good stuff.
Starting Anew
Long have I neglected my little blog, but no more. I'm going to try to keep this simple, which for the moment means some kitchen commentary...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)