Tablet for use on a boat: Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

[nigelmercier]

There have been several posts asking about the best tablet for use on a boat. Here is a heads-up...

• The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" was recently tested by PC Pro Magazine. It has one of the clearest and brightest screens of the tablets on test.
• There is a new model of the Kindle Fire HD: the HDX, so the second-hand price of the HD is falling.
• It can be converted to a standard Android tablet.
• The 4G model has GPS. May not be required, depending on your intended use.

I managed to buy a 4G version for £125, I think I was lucky; the Wi-Fi only model normally sells for around £160. Keep an eye on eBay if you want one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/iPads-Tab...1485/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=kindle+fire+hd+8.9

If there is any interest in this, I will update this thread with my progress as I convert it to standard Android.

 

[RAI]

Yes, please keep us posted. What for example do you gain by converting it to standard Android (which version)?

 

[mrming]

Yes, please keep us posted. What for example do you gain by converting it to standard Android (which version)?

You need to convert it to standard Android to gain access to the Google Play store, in order to install Navionics etc.

 

[Storyline]

There have been several posts asking about the best tablet for use on a boat. Here is a heads-up...

• The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" was recently tested by PC Pro Magazine. It has one of the clearest and brightest screens of the tablets on test.
• There is a new model of the Kindle Fire HD: the HDX, so the second-hand price of the HD is falling.
• It can be converted to a standard Android tablet.
• The 4G model has GPS. May not be required, depending on your intended use.

I managed to buy a 4G version for £125, I think I was lucky; the Wi-Fi only model normally sells for around £160. Keep an eye on eBay if you want one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/iPads-Tab...1485/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=kindle+fire+hd+8.9

If there is any interest in this, I will update this thread with my progress as I convert it to standard Android.

Yes, very interested in the conversion. That price you paid was excellent, was it new ?

 

[nigelmercier]

That price you paid was excellent, was it new ?

Seller says "Like new". I think it's a "blacklisted" one, as the seller says it can't be registered with Amazon. He has sold a few of them over the past year, and said he has another one coming up soon: http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/0207cap

 

[pvb]

Seller says "Like new". I think it's a "blacklisted" one, as the seller says it can't be registered with Amazon.

Is that a euphemism for "stolen"?

 

[markdj]

It certainly sounds dodgy, and having to convert to stock android is not for the faint of heart. You need to unlock the bootloader and flash a custom recovery and then find a stable shoehorned Android OS to put on it which wont get support. You will also void your 2 year manufacturer's warranty. Best option by far is the Nexus 7 for a handy sized nav tool, something that can be put in a back pocket (standing only!) or a sailing jacket pocket. You can get waterproof cases and mounts for them of course.

 

[nigelmercier]

Is that a euphemism for "stolen"?

It is possible, but there are other possible reasons. For one it's a US model.

Note that it isn't necessary to change the ROM, just that I want to.

 

[nigelmercier]

Update on this. The item was like new, but had a 30mm scratch on the rear, so I negotiated a £20 refund. I then decided that the easiest way to make the conversion was to pay a small fee ($20) to automate the process. Yes, I know this is a cop-out for an ex-lecturer in computing, but there are many stages to the manual process.

I used the following site: http://n2aos.com/
The conversion was fairly smooth, only needing an unexpected reboot at the end. The upside is that I now have a fully working Android tablet, the downside is that the GPS module is not supported in the underlying ROM at the moment. I was aware of this before buying the device, but it is expected soon.