First reactions to the Kindle Fire

Updated on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 11:50 PM by Logan Molen

I’ve been playing with the Kindle Fire tablet since it hit stores Tuesday and am generally impressed with a powerful tablet that acts bigger than its $199 price. 

Before we dive into the details, let’s get this out of the way quickly: the Kindle Fire is much more than an e-reader but it is not an “iPad killer.” But it’s a very good hand-held computer with lots of upside. 

Reading content is at the core of the Kindle brand, but the Fire does so much more. Because of it brings good bang for the buck for mainstream America, expect the Fire to be a big hit this holiday season, giving Amazon a strong foundation in its ongoing battle with Apple, Barnes & Noble, Netflix and who knows else in the battle for consumers’ time and money. 

Some quick observations after a few hours of playtime with the Fire: 

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Putting the spotlight on The Californian's e-edition

The Bakersfield Californian has kicked off a substantial months-long multimedia campaign to market the iPad and laptop/desktop versions of our e-edition, which is a digital replica of the printed newspaper. 

One of four billboard designs promoting The Bakersfield Californian's iPad app features popular regional destination Morro Rock as a backdrop. The campaign features print and online display ads, TV commercials (watch them above and below), digital billboards and bus wraps. The messages promote the idea of escaping with The Californian -- anywhere, anytime. I won't spill the beans on all the creative until it's all ready for prime time, but I will say there's a neat trick we'll be doing with the digital billboard. And the bus wraps will turn heads. 

I've written previously about our highly rated iPad app and how it's a perfect match for The Californian's tabloid format. We're finding that our e-edition subscribers are extremely loyal in reading daily and spending a sizable amount of time with each edition. 

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Bakersfield Californian iPad app hits market

One of our tabloid front pages as seen on our new iPad appIt's taken us awhile but a replica edition of The Bakersfield Californian is now available for the iPad. 

And I must say it looks pretty sweet. 

I'm not a big fan of reading replica versions of broadsheet newspapers on computer screens but our weekday tabloid format is well suited for most monitors and is near perfect for larger tablets like the iPad. Those with reasonable eyesight (I'm blind without contacts or glasses) will be able to read text without zooming.  

We're not alone in sharing that enthusiasm. Shortly after learning Apple had finally released the app into the iTunes The cover of our classified front as seen on our iPad appstore, we shared the good news with some of our readers who had been clamoring for an iPad-enabled version. One downloaded the app, then wrote us back a short time later:

"My compliments.  Quick download with % DL indicator, always handy with slower connections.  Great organization.  Crisp text and graphics.  I like how closely it mirrors the print version and the fact you can see the whole page.  Call me old fashion, but that's what I like about a newspaper, one glance and you can see everything.  Good work!"

How's that for a first reaction? We couldn't pay for that kind of applause. 

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