I’ve finished up my Christmas list, and it was harder than I thought it would be because I really don’t need anything. I could upgrade my Fire tablet, but I have an iPad Pro (First gen) and a basic Kindle (I lost my Oasis in the chaos of the fire). If my current Fire can’t handle something, the iPad Pro certainly will. I’m not a gamer, so that’s why cheap tablets work so well for me. Even if I wanted to install an emulator for things like NES and Playstation, those games are so old that it would not tax my current tablet or newer. In fact, to replace my current tablet with something I’d like more would be a substantial jump in money for something that is just cool, not necessary.
I’m actually surprised at how well my current Fire HD 10+ does split screen, so if you need a laptop, I highly recommend you pick one up. Because it’s not the newest release, it will be maybe $80. With a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you’ll gain the functionality of a full desktop and your bag weight will still be manageable. The newer version of the 10-in only comes with 3GB of RAM as well, but it has a faster CPU. In order to get 4GB, you have to upgrade to the Fire 11 Max, which is stunning hardware and not enough motivation to upgrade because you can’t install stock Android on it and there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack….. omg, this wigs me out so much, this whole going to Bluetooth and HDMI/Thunderbolt for everything. I have a very nice stereo system that only comes in wired. I hate having to charge my headphones. It’s at least as big a form factor as the 10-inch, so saving space isn’t it.
I don’t think I should have to replace my audio equipment just because computer companies are short-sighted. In order to get the same usage out of your Bluetooth headphones that you could out of wired, you’d need 10 pairs to constantly keep charging them, and if you forget your cable on the go, good luck. God bless. The best pair of headphones I own are wired Sony that cost less than $20, and because it’s a wired connection, much deeper and richer than Bluetooth. Audiophiles do not like Bluetooth. It’s knowing how to use a Nikon and settling for a phone cam. So, I will be staying with my current iPad and Fire for now, because by now they are like pets. 😉
I’m not doing anything but surfing the web, creating documents, and watching videos. I don’t think there’s any percentage in upgrading until I have a reason for it, like editing video and thus need more RAM. RAM doesn’t make your tablet faster. It makes it where you can keep more applications open at one time without it lagging. I would recommend at least 4GB for the current build of all Google apps. Chrome is a memory hog in and of itself, but 4GB of RAM will allow you to put it side by side with something else and have full control in both windows.
Plus, things will change when my new computer arrives. I’ve never had one with DDR4 or an M.2 drive, both things that will seriously pick up the pace in my desktop department. That means I can use USB-C to transfer files back and forth from my Fire tablet and edit them on that drive instead. It won’t mean much in terms of text, but it will mean everything in terms of audio/video.
Even then, I didn’t pick out something STUPID fast, I just joined the 21st century. Linux has astounding support for the AMD gpu, so Ubuntu will install right out of the box and it already comes with Windows 11. Since Windows 11 is going to contain Skyrim, I’m going to add a separate SSD with something like Linux Mint.
I know the M.2 drive is faster, but I’m not sure whether I want to partition it yet. All of these things are to be discussed with myself when said computer actually arrives (Saturday). What I do know is that I’ll plug it in and use it as is so I can activate the Windows 11 license and add it to my Microsoft account. Then, I can uninstall and reinstall everything to my heart’s content. The one thing I like about having DRM on Windows is that I don’t have to have a key every time I reinstall. I spent the 90s memorizing Windows keys, I shit you not. I must have had to install it 500 times, and I stopped having to look down at the jewel case on install 48.
The only reason you ever need to reinstall Windows right off the bat is if you buy a pre-built and there are proprietary applications you just can’t delete. If that is the case, I will be downloading my own installation media. I hate that stuff the same way I hate Fire OS. The Fire tablet did not have to reinvent the wheel with Fire OS. Nearly everything in the Google Play store requires Google Services Framework, so if you have Fire OS, you either have to hack it to run GSF or suffer life without them. You can download some apps from the Aurora Store, but what you’ll find is that anything you really want to install has to come through Play.
This is not true if you’re a Microsoft person, and if you are, that’s great. Microsoft apps like office and Edge (a derivative of Chrome) will install just fine. If you use Gmail, the e-mail application that comes with Fire OS is mostly elegant and will incorporate your calendar as well. However, you will not have access to Google apps like Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc. It was a bad decision to branch off into FireOS, but at least they only tell you that Google Play isn’t supported, they haven’t shut down the homebrew community altogether. XDA has made what’s called “The Fire Toolbox,” which will turn off all the Amazon apps you don’t use and install Google Play services for you. At one point, you could also install alternate launchers, but I think that may be the one thing that is locked down.
I have said this before, but it bears repeating that Amazon is making some stupid awesome hardware and selling the products for what they’re worth. There is no reason that they need to lock me into their version of OS hell while they’re at it. I would love to be able to install stock Android or Ubuntu Touch or whatever it is that I like on the hardware that I purchased. Even Steve Jobs recognized there was a use case for installing Windows on a Mac and that’s why we have BootStrap.
I would understand if the Fire Max 11 came with lockscreen ads and FireOS because it was a loss leader to get you to buy into the Amazon universe. It’s not. Other companies are selling equal or better hardware for the same price. The only place I hear Amazon is really competing with Apple is that their new stylus is comparable to an Apple Pencil. But I’ve only heard that from tech reviewers on YouTube, I have never used one.
And while we’re on the Apple Pencil, let me tell you that it is the coolest thing on earth and I love it to absolute pieces………… I’ve used it three times this year. I like to color, but I don’t like to handwrite things. My iPad has a touch screen, so I don’t need it as a mouse. I have a matte screen to make the Apple Pencil feel real, as it it actually sounds like graphite scratching across the “paper,” and yet it still feels like once keyboards came out, pens were so over.
I would also skip the new Amazon keyboard case, because it has a touchpad that I can believe will drive you nuts from accidentally hitting it all the time. When I had a laptop, I disabled it and carried a mouse everywhere. I have not seen the keyboard settings in FireOS to know if you can disable it or not. Tell me how it works out. 😉
Eventually, I had to face the reality that while I’m a tech enthusiast, I don’t want to be one of those people who collects gadgets and therefore e-waste. I have enough already. If I ever upgrade, I wouldn’t even know where to start with the technology I already have because it’s so old it’s not really worth anything. I am looking at the reality of what I really do in a day, and basing my tech decisions on it. Every problem that I have with an application will not be fixed with a faster machine. A lot of stability on a tablet comes from network connection, because apps are basically front-ends for the web. If you’re going to get a new tablet, it’s more important that it does dual-band networking (2.4 and 5G) than the amount of RAM. I’m lucky in that dual band came out for the Fire with the last iteration, so there’s not even a reason to upgrade there.
I do think it’s fun reviewing new things, but there again…. I can review it, but what do I do with it after that? I can only use so many computers at once. I am reaching saturation with technology and need it less, not more. I am learning to go off the grid when I write. I am learning that time is sacred. I am learning that my technology is not a leash that means “respond to everyone immediately or you’re a terrible person.” I had to learn that my time was valuable, that my writing was valuable, that even if no one ever read it that it was good for me to get it all out.
I just don’t have to spend a thousand dollars on a tablet to do it….. even if it was a really, really cool machine.
Stories That Are All True 