Garmin Forerunner 310XT Waterproof Running GPS with USB ANT Stick

Garmin Forerunner 310XT Waterproof Running GPS with USB ANT Stick From Garmin List Price: $249.99 Price: $161.57 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 79 new or used available from $130.00 Average customer review:  (520 customer reviews)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #740 in GPS or Navigation System
• Size: *, Without Heart Rate Monitor
• Color: Gray/Orange
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00741-00
• Released on: 2009-07-20
• Format: CD-ROM
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.20" h x .80" w x 2.10" l, .16 pounds
• Native resolution: 160 x 100
• Display size: 1.5

Features

• Waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim
• Tracks bike and run data and sends it wirelessly to your computer
• Track your position, distance, and pace; add accessories to measure heart rate, power data and more
• 20 hours of battery life
• One-year limited warranty

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Finally, a GPS-enabled training device that isn't afraid of the water. The rugged Forerunner 310XT is the triathlete's indispensable training tool--a GPS-enabled, swim-proof trainer that tracks bike and run data and sends it wirelessly to your computer. This multi-sport device has up to 20 hours of battery life, tracks distance, pace and heart rate (optional), and goes from wrist to bike in seconds.

A GPS-enabled training device that isn't afraid of the water.

Track bike and run data and send it wirelessly to your computer. Click to enlarge.

Tracks distance, pace and heart rate. Click to enlarge.

Time Your Swim
The swim-proof Forerunner 310XT is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim. And its slim design and flexible wristband mean Forerunner is easy to wear in any conditions.
Transition Effortlessly
When you're ready to jump out of the water and onto the bike, Forerunner 310XT moves easily from wrist to bike with the optional quick release and bike mounts, making the transition between sports effortless. Forerunner 310XT categorizes multisport activities in one workout and can also log transition time in the process, so you can analyze your performance from start to finish.
Collect Workout Data
Forerunner 310XT tracks your position precisely with GPS satellite data and records distance, pace, heart rate (optional), power data (from ANT+-enabled third-party power meters) and more. High-sensitivity GPS and HotFix satellite prediction mean Forerunner acquires satellites quickly and tracks your movement even near tall buildings or under tree cover. And using innovative ANT+ wireless technology, Forerunner 310XT connects seamlessly to an optional heart rate monitor, foot pod and cadence sensor.
When paired with the optional wireless heart rate monitor, Forerunner 310XT continuously tracks beats per minute and uses heart rate data in advanced calorie computation. Train in a certain heart rate zone to improve fitness and monitor your level of exertion.
Run, Sync, Store and Share
Once you've logged the miles, innovative ANT+ wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when Forerunner is in range. No cables, no hookups. The data's just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through our online community, Garmin Connect or our optional Garmin Training Center software. You can even plan workouts on your computer and then send them to your Forerunner.
What's in the Box 
Forerunner 310XT, USB ANT stick, AC charger, charging clip, owner's manual, quick start guide

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
618 of 639 people found the following review helpful.
310XT is most everything Garmin says it is
By David Rosenfeld
I felt compelled to write a review, because I am disturbed with what some other reviewers are publishing. This is the best watch of it's kind I have owned, and as long as a purchaser understands what it does, and it's limitations, I think they will be more than satisfied. It may be that this watch will not meet their needs, but it should not be a cause to deliver a poor rating.
I have owned the Forerunner 305, the 201, the Timex GPS and a Polar, so I have years of experience. Since I do triathlons, I was most looking forward to the waterproof controls, and 20 hour battery. The charger is a bit funky design, but for me it seems to work just fine. My battery has been lasting at least 16 hours--I haven't tested it further before recharging. One issue that I had with the 305 also, though: the watch should be TURNED OFF while you are charging. If not, as soon as you disconnect the charger, since the watch is ON, it will start "discharging" (as it does normally while it is on. I have been caught several times with a depleted battery on my 305 because of this quirk--I think the watches should be programmed to automatically turn themselves off when the charger is connected).
I have used the new watch swimming, biking and running and hiking, and I am pleased with the performance for each sport. One reviewer pointed out that there should be a "swim" mode--I agree, but I think Garmin may have avoided that mode because the GPS does not work well in the water. Several reviewers complained about that, however Garmin does write on their website AND in their manual that the GPS does not work well in the water (I don't know that I would blame that on Garmin--probably the technology is just not there yet--besides, GPS signals do not penetrate water.) In fact, I did NOT get an accurate GPS distance reading for open water swimming, but it did map my COURSE correctly, albeit with a lot of zig-zags (I know I can't swim in a straight line, but I am not THAT bad).
The biking portion works great. The Garmin matches pretty closely with the distance measured on my bike computer (I don't have the Garmin bike sensor--I want that and the quick-release mount for my next birthday). Of course it also tracks speed, altitude, heart rate, etc. (I used the heart monitor strap from my 305).
Running works well also, basically same as biking although I do set up the display screens differently.
Other, useful new features I have noticed:
1. The watch locks onto satellites more quickly than my 305
2. The watch vibrates, although I wonder how this affects battery life. For instance it vibrates every lap (if I set it) so I know I have completed an autolap without having to look at the watch.
3. The software is more refined (lots of small fixes. For instance the settings function lets me know what sport mode I am in--although I think this could still be made easier and less confusing. And the time zone can be put on automatic--I always wondered why they couldn't do this before--the watch knows where it is for gosh sakes. And there are extra custom screens if you want them--statistic hounds take note.)
4. Wireless data upload. Very nice! Their new "Garmin Connect" site is also pretty useful, and the data can be uploaded directly to the Internet.
5. The 310XT is not much smaller or lighter than the 305 (according to the specs), but it FEELS MUCH smaller and lighter.
6. There is a progress bar for the battery charging. I would like to be able to see how much time is LEFT in my battery--I wish Garmin would add this.

In summary, I think this is far and away the best GPS watch Garmin has made, and is especially appropriate for triathletes (despite the swimming issue). You DO need to become accustomed to using the watch. Although I do not think it is hard to use, you SHOULD read the manual. At least you do not have to keep RE-reading the manual like I do for some other gadgets. I do think this watch is way overpriced, but I am a gadget freak, and I'm sure the price will come down over time, like it did for the 305 (which is a great deal, now, btw, if you don't need a 20 hour battery-life and a waterproof stopwatch :)
642 of 693 people found the following review helpful.
Somewhat Misleading Advertising to Triathletes, but does its job.
By graymoment
*UPDATED* This review was from when this watch first came out and before any other Garmin triathlon focused watches came out. I'm made some recent updates to the review in hopes that it will help others to make a good decision.
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This device has been represented as a triathlete's watch and the first swim proof GPS watch. If you watch the video from Garmin or see any of the advertisements, Garmin leads you to believe that this watch will collect reliable data for all 3 multisport events. It is reasonable for someone to assume this watch can be worn in a race and collect GPS data in the water, since, of course, swimming is the first event in a triathlon.

If you are considering buying this watch, hopefully the following information will help you:

-This device does not collect usable data in the water (other than time, which any $20 waterproof watch can collect in a much smaller form factor). No heart rate data and totally unusable and inaccurate GPS data will be collected while in the water.

-There are preset modes for "run," "bike," and "other," in which "other" shows a person on skis (explain that one?). They intentionally omit a category for swimming, despite advertising that this watch is for triathletes and show people coming out of the water in transition (see the photo I added under product photos).

-You will need to purchase a separate quick release kit if you want to use this watch on a bike. For some reason, it does not get accurate data on a bike if you are wearing in on your wrist. It auto pauses, then unpauses for most of the time I am riding if I wear it on my wrist -- even if I have it set to only auto pause when completely stopped. The quick release kit is not the more common one for the 205 and 305, so do not buy that one. [UPDATE: They made a new quick release kit specifically for this watch, then they updated it again. The current [updated] quick release kit that you want to buy is Garmin 310XT QR Kit (updated)]

-If you want foot cadence or the ability to track distance indoors, you will want to buy a foot pod. Older, less expensive Garmin models included them in their kits, but it looks like they no longer do that. Either the current Garmin Foot Pod [Retail Packaging] or the older Garmin Foot Pod for Forerunner 305, 405, and 50 will work. I had the older one and it broke after about a year of use (I never ran in the rain or got it wet), so I'll be buying the newer, smaller one to replace it.

-The watch is large and sits high on top of the wrist (they packed 20 hours of battery life into this watch), so to wear it under your wetsuit will let water in the wetsuit, or you will have to wear it on top of (or crammed in front of) the wetsuit, which will not allow you to remove your wetsuit without first removing the watch (thus adding time and/or complication to your transition, and sort of negating that whole "triathlete" angle). You can see a photo of this watch on my wrist under the photos section of the product to hopefully give you a better idea of what it will look like on you (I'm a 6' 195 lb male with big bones).

-There is no way to turn off GPS tracking for only one of the 3 events in multisport mode. Therefore you will always either have incorrect GPS data recording for the swimming mode (or, actually "other", since there is no "swim" mode, as previously mentioned). I have called customer support and they confirm this. Their solution was to turn off GPS while I am swimming, then reset and manually start a new timer and mode during transition 1 for my bike event. I'll let you be the judge of how to take that advice.

So, in conclusion, if you want to setup this watch for a bike and run, and want the ability to wear the watch in the water before hand (and not start it unless you want some incorrect distance data included), you will need to buy:
(pricing as of 9/8/2012)
~$250 - the Garmin 310XT with HR
~$16 - Quick release kit (for wrist and bike)
Garmin 310XT QR Kit (updated)
~$45 - Foot pod (if you want cadence)
Garmin Foot Pod [Retail Packaging]
~$38 - speed/cadence sensor (if you want cadence for the bike)
Garmin GSC 10 Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor

You'll be into it for $349 (as of 9/8/2012) [UPDATE: When I purchased all of those parts, it was $575. Current pricing is much more reasonable]

I feel that Garmin did the consumer wrong on this model with the false advertising (in 2009) and high cost of itemized accessories. Some of us are willing to spend that kind of money on a product if it proves to do what it advertises itself to do. We're not asking it to do anything more than perform as advertised. I realize the fine print saves Garmin from lawsuits, but it doesn't gain them repeat customers. It sends them over to Polar.

[EDIT: I have edited the title of this review to what it currently reads from "Misleading: Not a Triathlete's Watch," because it seems that Garmin has softened their advertising and marketing surrounding this watch. I purchased this watch when it first came out in 2009, and at the time the marketing videos and advertising in triathlon magazines mentioned nothing about the fact that it doesn't track GPS data in the water, and in fact seemed to lead the consumer into believing that it does. That advertising has since softened and is now replaced by a newer model Garmin Forerunner 910XT GPS-Enabled Sport Watch]. I would look at that newer model and compare it to this one to decide which model you would prefer.
142 of 158 people found the following review helpful.
Decent watch, but a lot of catches
By Josh McCarthy
The 310xt was my first Garmin purchase. After years of having family use the Edge and the Forerunner for biking/running I decided I'd take the plunge when they came out with "the triathlete's indispensable training tool" in the 310xt.

My first thought was this was pricey. But, looking at the ForeRunner 305 & 405, I realized it wasn't that much more expensive for the additional supposed features and the "newness". Then I looked at the price here on Amazon and almost passed out. $550? Without the HRM strap? Ouch. If you're really into this watch, don't buy at that price. Search for the ones priced at $399. Most sites sell at that price.

Ok, onto the feature set. Large, clear buttons. Large screen. Ability to track multiple sports. Quick upload of data. Lots of customizable options and screens.

Pros:

Easy to set up and use. Pairing with the ANT USB stick is simple and can quickly get you started without the manual.
Online tools are pretty good (much better than previous iterations). Also, works with the MapMy list of sites (fitness, run, walk, hike, bike, swim, tri).
Customizable display allows for up to 4 tracking items per screen. So, you can track pace, HR, time and distance covered on one screen then scroll to another and get a map of your HR, your calories burned and a bunch of other potential options, all determined by you.
You can create routes on your watch and when you run it, it will record whenever you are on that route path. Great for comparing against previous training routes and for quickly setting the route and having it track you properly. Once you are on the route, it tracks you.
Auto-multisport option allows you to set that and when you click lap, it will dump you to the next "sport" whether it be a transition or another sport such as biking/running.
Tracks you the individual after you enter your height, weight, level of fitness. Provides caloric burn and other related info based on your input.
Virtual training partner. You can actually have it show how you're doing on a saved route versus your virtual training partner. This partner is a previous version of you doing the same route and tells your pace and how far you're up/behind. Pretty cool.
Multitude of things you can configure and display/adjust/fine tune.

Cons:

Swim? As I quoted from the Garmin site above, this watch bills itself as the triathlete's indispensable training tool. Umm.. triathlete means 3 sports, typically involving SWIMMING, biking and running. Swim is not an option. In fact, when I clicked other one time, it had what appeared to be an icon of a downhill skier. I'm not sure how that showed up since that option isn't there. HUGE mistake in my book for a watch billed to be for triathletes.

Elevation Accuracy? This one is WAAAAAY off. On a 3.3 mile run, it had me ascending 853 feet. Unless I'm climbing the Washington Monument, I'm not getting that type of elevation in 3.3 miles. I'd have to say it is off by, 600 feet or so. On a 60 mile bike ride, it had me at 1500 feet and that one at least took me up some legitimate hills.

Switching events: There is no way to switch events mid-stream on the watch if you didn't set it properly to begin. Let's say you ran one day and then biked the following day. If you left it on run then switched when you realized the mistake, it clears the data and you start with a new workout. The original workout is kept but you can't append the "new" workout on either on the watch or with any of their software (both installed SW and online site). So, when workouts are categorized, it shows a multisport recording on the installable software and whatever you mistakenly set in the online site. You then have 2 workouts you can't consolidate or run reports against without manual intervention.

Swim accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. While I haven't put it through its paces and will hopefully edit this review in the future, for a 1/2 mile swim, this thing was way off. Beach, opposite direction, gaps. All were part of that swim result.

While there are a lot of pros (which do warrant a 4 star), the cons are extremely negative. Since I don't have a watch to keep track of everything, this one will have to do. At such a price point, I'm highly disappointed in the overall performance considering it is billed as the triathlete's dream. It really does track mileage well and with enough fudging (using the elevation in MapMyRide instead of from the watch) and by manually adjusting routes in my various tracking sites, I can get close what I want. The HRM is good and the coupled effect of it all makes it as worthwhile as having a set of watches out there. But, I will not be ultimately promoting this to other athletes. While I've managed to make it work to a 4-star rating with my own fiddling, I wouldn't recommend it to a hardcore triathlete. Being my first training watch for my first Ironman, I wish I could say there were other watches which had the functionality I needed. Unfortunately, I'd have to wear two or more plus a bike computer. Even more unfortunate, in order to get what this watch said it can do all in one I might still need another to keep this one honest.
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Garmin Approach S1 GPS Golf Watch (Preloaded with US Courses)

Garmin Approach S1 GPS Golf Watch (Preloaded with US Courses) From Garmin List Price: $179.99 Price: $149.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 25 new or used available from $99.99 Average customer review:  (420 customer reviews)

Product Description

What's in the Box:

• Approach S1
• Charging/data clip
• AC charging adapter
• Manual

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1170 in GPS or Navigation System
• Color: Black
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00932-02
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.80" h x .60" w x 2.70" l, .11 pounds
• Native resolution: 64 x 32
• Display size: 1

Features

• Waterproof (IPX7) golf watch with 1.0 in. monochrome LCD display and high-sensitivity GPS receiver
• Preloaded with more than 14,000 U.S. and Canada courses (USGA and R&A compliant)
• Provides yardages to front, back and middle of the green (unlimited course capacity)
• Includes odometer, alarm, plus sets time and time zone automatically
• Battery life: 3 weeks in watch mode and 8 hours in GPS mode

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
132 of 136 people found the following review helpful.
All I expected
By MH
This golf watch is very easy to use. I have used it on several other courses in other states since I got it in September and the satellite link was always successful. I have also used it to measure distances walked and this function is useful for determining how much exercise you get in walking. (miles) When finished using the satellite, it reverts to a timepiece which is very convenient. I would recommend this for those who only want to know front, middle or back distances to green and who don't mind wearing a watch while playing golf. I had not been in the habit of wearing one, but this is very light and doesn't interfere with my game. I like not having to grab for a distance measuring device, pick it up and put it down before swinging the club. This is easier.
102 of 106 people found the following review helpful.
This is the easiest golf GPS to use!
By Alan Duran
I have a golf GPS that requires me to download the course information before I can play for the first time. That process isn't simple or without problems. This Garmin S1 is the easiest thing to use. You turn it on, tell it you want to play a round of golf (since it comes up in watch mode) and it displays a list of the courses nearby. So if you are at a golf course when you tell it you want to play, you don't have to go searching for the course you want to play, it is already on the top of the list you select from. If there is more than one course nearby, as there is at my golf club, the different courses will be listed for you to choose from with the closest first.

Using the S1 during play couldn't be easier either. You don't have to change holes manually, it knows where you are and therefore what hole you are on. You can change the holes manually, but it isn't necessary under most circumstances.

I'm used to wearing a watch during play, so I didn't have much to get used to in that regard. If you don't normally wear a watch, this may be a problem. The watch and band are one solid piece of plastic. I guess that's good for the integrity of the device but don't think you will change bands to a slip-on-type to avoid having to mess with this strappy-type.

The device acquires the satellites quickly, adjusts to movement quickly and seems to be quite accurate. Certainly accurate enough for my play.

The difficulties others have mentioned about attaching the clip-on charging device are real. You've got to mess with it a little to get a good connection. The directions tell you what the screen should look like if you get a good connection, so it's isn't that big of a problem if you know what you are doing. It's an issue, but not enough of a problem to take away a star.

I know this S1 GPS doesn't have all of the features of Garmin's S3 version or other GPSs on the market, but I don't need them. My other GPS has those features and they just aren't that useful or in some cases, that easy to use. In fact, the simplicity of just getting the distance to the green is a real advantage to me. And for the price difference between the S1 and the S3, I don't think you can do better than this device.

For the simplicity, ease-of-use during play, low price and fast, accurate readings, I highly recommend the Garmin Approach S1 Golf GPS.
102 of 112 people found the following review helpful.
Good and mixed
By sean m harris
This watch is a great device and is very accurate when on the course. The only issue I have with it is when you go to charge the device...the charger has a 4 prong connection and it fits very tightly in the 4 holes provided. You have make SURE all 4 connections are in the holes or it will not charge. I have reached for the watch on my way to the course and it has been dead.

Just need to make sure its fully connected.
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Garmin nüvi 3490LMT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps and Traffic

Garmin nüvi 3490LMT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps and Traffic From Garmin List Price: $349.99 Price: $159.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 78 new or used available from $129.50 Average customer review:  (354 customer reviews)

Product Description

Thanks to Garmin Guidance 3.0, FREE lifetime traffic¹ and map² updates, advanced lane guidance and much more, nüvi 3490LMT provides the most comprehensive navigation capabilities available. And at just 9 mm, it’s also our thinnest navigator yet.

Navigate by Touch or by Voice

With its innovative speech recognition, you can control nüvi 3490LMT with your voice — allowing you to keep both hands on the wheel. Simply wake up nüvi with a customizable voice command and begin speaking menu options that are clearly displayed on the screen. When you’re stopped, you can still control the nüvi using its 4.3-inch (10.92-cm) glass touchscreen.
Garmin Guidance 3.0 allows you to quickly look up addresses and services and be guided to your destination with voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names. It comes preloaded with maps that feature 3-D landmarks and terrain for North America. It also comes preloaded with more than 8 million points of interest (POIs) and offers the ability to add your own.

Avoid Traffic Tie-ups

With FREE lifetime traffic updates from Digital 3D Traffic, our most extensive traffic avoidance system, nüvi 3490LMT can help you avoid delays. Digital 3D Traffic provides updates every 30 seconds over the HD Radio broadcasting system, so you can easily reroute around congestion and arrive on time.

Enjoy FREE Lifetime Map Updates

With FREE lifetime map updates, you always have the most up-to-date maps, POIs and navigation information available at your fingertips. Map updates are available for download up to 4 times a year with no subscription or update fees and no expiration dates.

Know the Lane Before It’s Too Late

Now there’s no more guessing which lane you need to be in to make anupcoming turn. Available in select metropolitan areas, photoReal  junction view makes unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate. When you approach an exit or interchange, nüvi 3490LMT will enter split screen mode and show you a realistic depiction of junctions on your route, complete with road signs and arrows that indicate the proper lane for navigation. Bird's Eye junction view also is included for a top-down look at upcoming interchanges.

Go Beyond Navigation

Point-to-point navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 3490LMT features a microSD™ card slot so you can store and use detailed cityXplorer™ maps or download custom voices and vehicles for free from the Garmin Garage It also comes with a powered mount that charges while you drive while dual-orientation functionality lets you hold nüvi vertically or horizontally for added convenience driving or walking. And for added convenience and safety, built-in Bluetooth® connectivity lets you make and take hands-free calls and texts.
nüvi 3490LMT’s "Where Am I?" emergency locator provides your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and more. And Enhanced Exit Services tells you what services you’re approaching on the highway.

What's in the Box:

• nüvi 3490LMT
• Preloaded City Navigator® NT North America (U.S., Canada and Mexico)
• Lifetime maps¹ and traffic² (indicated by "LMT" after model number on the box)
• Digital 3D traffic receiver with vehicle power cable (vehicle power cable is traffic receiver)
• Quick release powered mount³
• USB cable
• Quick start manual

¹FREE lifetime traffic updates may not be transferred to another person or another Garmin product. Lifetime traffic extends for the useful life of your Garmin traffic receiver (as long as you own a compatible Garmin GPS) or as long as Garmin receives traffic data from its traffic supplier, whichever is shorter. Traffic content not available for all areas. See traffic coverage areas and Program License Agreement for complete terms and conditions.
²FREE lifetime map updates entitle you to receive up to 4 map data updates per year, when and as such updates are made available on the Garmin website, for this specific Garmin product only until this product’s useful life expires or Garmin no longer receives map data from its third party supplier, whichever is shorter. The updates you receive will be updates to the same geographic map data originally included with your Garmin product when originally purchased. Garmin may terminate your lifetime map updates at any time if you violate any of the terms of the End User License Agreement accompanying your nüvi product.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #914 in GPS or Navigation System
• Color: Black
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00009-00
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.85" h x 4.79" w x .35" l, .26 pounds
• Native resolution: 800 x 480
• Display size: 4.3

Features

• Less than 9mm thick
• Make hands-free calls and texts
• Voice activated navigation
• Lifetime map and traffic updates (vehicle power cable is the traffic receiver)
• Lane assist with photoReal junction view

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
304 of 322 people found the following review helpful.
Almost didn't get this great unit... but so glad I did
By Michael
I presently have the Nuvi 3790 and almost didn't go for this new unit. I am now glad I did. I have a number of trips all over in the next few weeks and was anxious to get this unit before they began. Had it pre-ordered on Amazon, they sent me a note that it was shipping and then it didn't and got delayed, so I got it elsewhere.

Registering the unit was a breeze. No problem for my Garmin communicator to recognize the unit and ask me if I wanted to register it. Went smoothly. I also loaded safety camera poi's from a third party and that went well too. I use web-updater usually as I can control what gets updated. I had an issue with the 3790 and it had to be replaced (with a refurbished unit). I would NOT load their map updater. I want to be in control of what gets updated. Just my two cents worth of experience.

A word of caution, you have to spend some time drilling down all the menu options, since you have a lot of control over what you want displayed on the screen. The three default buttons seemed fine at first, but I changed one of them ... left the traffic and mute button and changed the stop route button to where to. It seemed to me easier to hit the button to choose a via point than hit a button twice. My personal preference. You can eliminate all the shortcut buttons if you want. I like the idea of them on the screen though.

Speaking of via points, I like how this unit handles them. You can add a lot of them on the way. And you can reorder them as to how you get to them and in what order. Not sure if it optimizes the routing for them, but I suspect it doesn't. I like this approach and control.

I also love the idea of having your favorite poi's or saved destinations available as shortcuts on the where to menu. Reminds me of Magellan -- I have had a few of them in the past -- but like Garmin better.

I also like being able to select what poi's you would like to see pop up on the screen as you travel. Reminds me of my Navigons years ago. Really enjoyed seeing for instance a McDonald's near my travels and just driving in its direction when I had a Navigon 7100 and 7200.

I was concerned that the new user interface was taking away things from me. I love info and the ability to control it. And while the dashboards need some work I found the default one seems to work for me at this point the best. I expect Garmin will update these along the way. I have pretty much what info I had before available to me and even more.

When you calculate a route you are often given a number of options. This happens on the 3790 as well, but it is easier to use on the 3490. Again it reminds me of Navigon. I was sad to see them leave the US market, but Garmin has caught up with their great ideas.

On the first leg of my trip I had the 3790 and 3490 set up side by side. The 3490 got going faster than the 3790. Both had been turned on and had acquired signals the day before, so it was an equal comparison when I pushed both on buttons at the same time. I was well on my way with the 3490 when the 3790 kicked in.

I also noticed more lane assist screens on the 3490 than the 3790. I had read that street info wasn't as prevalent as the 3790, but I selected the more detail option and haven't really noticed much difference.

I have found lane assist to be invaluable. I also like how junction views look with photo real pictures and now sharing the screen and staying on the screen until you get there. Much better approach than a few seconds for a pop up covering the whole screen in the past.

Arrival times always vary. It's hard for any GPS to take into account traffic lights and construction on regular streets. UPS years ago programmed their computers to eliminate left turns as much as possible to save gas and time. They save lots and lots of money. It makes sense if you think about it.

Also, this is the first Garmin unit I have owned that does not say, "recalculating" when a route is being recalculated. It got to be annoying at times. This unit just recalculates with no notice. I also found the voice command feature to be a bit more responsive and accurate than the 3790.

I suspect that one reason the 3400 and 3700 series are not live like the 1695 is its size. No room for the receiver. I did enjoy the live feature and Google search on the 1695 I had, but it's a trade off for the great size.

This is a very compact unit. It's actually the 3790 unit size, but a fraction heavier, just a fraction. I love this size because I carry it in my shirt pocket when out of the car. Garmin has a perfect case just designed for the 3400 and 3700 series. I would urge you to get it. It's available on Amazon for a bit cheaper than the retail price. Garmin Carrying Case nüvi 37xx Series

While it first seemed to me to be an incremental upgrade, I have found the 3490 to be faster, easier to use and with more info options. Make sure you spend time going through all the options. Many things you may think aren't there or can't be changed actually are there and can be changed.

Very worthwhile investment.

10/22/11 Update ------ In the last week I have been to various parts of Central Florida and the Chicago area. I have found the Voice Command feature much better than the Nuvi 3790. More sensitive and better accuracy. Also, when on a route and you are looking for a POI you have the option of looking for it near you, along your route or at your destination. And you can use your voice to choose which option. Much better feature upgrade.

When you are arriving at your destination you know get an alert bar with a parking option. The bar is replaced shortly with a new button on the screen with a P. So now you can easily choose to look for a parking garage, etc. Of course this only happens in areas where there are parking options and would not pop up in a residential area.

Traffic is so far for me hit or miss. I do not like that the traffic button stays green even if there is no signal being received. Very confusing. When it works I like that you get an alert bar at the top telling you of traffic and as with the parking alert above, it gets replaced with an icon of the traffic issue that counts down the mileage to the incident. Nice feature. Also if along the way the Nuvi finds an alternate route that saves time it gives you an alert so you can see the options and change to that routing. Again a nice feature.

Great new unit and I am more convinced that I made a good choice in going with this unit.

11/4/11 Update ----- Garmin issued a software update that improved map drawing, corrected a routing error when going through tunnels, and improved traffic performance, among a number of fixes. One obvious fix is that the green traffic icon now shows gray when not receiving traffic info, which is a real great update. But as I discovered it just means the traffic receiver is not attached. It still shows green when the receiver is attached but not receiving info - not a good thing. Traffic of course is dependent on your area. I have used many such services including Garmin's NuLink, at times with other units side by side. They all are great sometimes, not so great other times. This HD approach is the latest and so far I have had no major issues. Again, keeping in mind that traffic is not always 100%, even those live traffic reporters report a problem in an area I am in and it's not there any more (so much for real-time, live coverage). But when I was on 495 around Washington, DC, it was spot on with delays and location of start and end. Not bad at all.
279 of 300 people found the following review helpful.
Visually stunning, great features, but......traffic is poor
By Jackson
The unit looks great, it has very vivid graphics with sharp detail. The navigation features seem good, although it does work a bit differently than other Garmin units I own, so I am working through a learning curve. The "Voice Command" feature is GREAT. It has lots of functionality, and recognizes my voice commands very nearly flawlessly, available commands and options are presented to you on each screen so you don't have to memorize options, it's a CLEAR winner of a feature. The mounting system is easy to use and well designed (I own a Tomtom unit as well, which has a horrible mount system, so this comment is actually important to frustrated Tomtom users). Routing speed is fast (another clear advantage over my tomtom). There are lots of other options I haven't even begun to play with, like Exit Services, points of interest, customizable buttons on the screen, multiple destination routing, and on and on.

So what's not to love? In a word - TRAFFIC. Or the lack of it. And the advertised "HD Traffic" (whatever that means) was one of the main reasons I bought the unit. I live and work in the Pittsburgh, PA area, and normally drive up and down the turnpike (I-76) to/from work. My tomtom receives the traditional NAVTEQ traffic signal for the entire route at full strength. The first 3490LMT I bought never picked up the traffic signal on that route, not once. I called Garmin tech support, they ended up suggesting I return it for another, which I did. The second 3490LMT got a SNIFF of traffic the next day, for about 60 seconds, then gone again. To check it, on the way home I actually detoured through downtown, and sure enough, it finally began picking up signal, although never at full strength that I noticed. The NAVTEQ signal my tomtom picks up without issue is not even registering with the Garmin, much less any of the sexy "update every 60 second traffic" features. Maybe it was supposed to say "updates FOR 60 seconds" not "EVERY 60 seconds." Har har.

So....I'm at a loss as to whether to keep it or return it. I would rate everything but the traffic a solid 5 stars. I rate the traffic a solid 1 star. You can make up your mind how important that feature is to you. For me, I paid a premium price for the unit, with a lot of value deriving from the traffic feature, and without it I'm very disappointed.

UPDATE 26 Oct 2011: I ended up returning the unit. I really did like everything about it except the anemic traffic a lot, and tried to talk myself into not wanting the traffic feature. But in the end I decided that only having a traffic signal for the few blocks surrounding the downtown Pittsburgh area was just too silly - Pittsburgh does actually have a lot of traffice outside those few blocks - and it had to go back. I see other reviews complaining about the traffic as well. I'll wait, and if Garmin releases a new production run with an updated receiver I'll consider buying then. Until then I'll plod along with my Tomtom, which annoys me more every day it seems, heh...
67 of 72 people found the following review helpful.
Digital 3D Traffic doesn't work properly
By Mark Denne
I live in LA. So for obvious reasons, high quality and up-to-date real-time traffic information is important to me. I purchased this unit to replace a Garmin 3790, which had proved disappointing. The 3790 uses Garmin's "3D Traffic" service which receives traffic data over standard FM radio. It updated too slowly. Sometimes it would take as long as 20 minutes after switch-on before its traffic data was fully loaded. And this delay meant I would often get told about a traffic back-up too late to do anything about it. Also, 3D Traffic is only good for freeway information. So if you opt to avoid conjestion by switching to a surface street, you don't know if that route is also conjested until you get there.

The great thing about the 3490 is that it comes with "Digital 3D Traffic". This uses HD radio which transmits traffic data much more quickly. The 3490 usually tells me its traffic information is up to date within just a couple of minutes of being switched on. In addition, it gives me traffic information about major surface streets, not just the freeways.

There's lots to like about the Garmin 3490. It's slim, fast and intuitive. I especially like the way that I can key in a destination address by giving the street number and street name first (instead of city first). Before I even enter the city name, it's already worked out which cities have that street number and name. Most of the time, I don't even have to enter the city - it's already worked it out. And unlike many other GPS devices I've tried, it has reliable Point of Interest data, so I can find anything from a furniture store to a theme park very quickly.

But the 3490 has two critical flaws. And for me they're show-stoppers. They're both related to the Digital 3D Traffic functionality.

The first is that the reception of Digital 3D Traffic data is disappointingly poor. For example, today I drove from San Diego to Burbank and I had no traffic updates for 26 minutes from just north of San Clemente until just before the Euclid Avenue intersection on I5. That's a long time not to have any updates. A lot can happen on I5 in 26 minutes! And this lack of reception isn't happening out in the desert, it's happening in Orange County. The HD receiver was perfectly positioned on the dash of the car throughout this time. Not good. But, to be fair, HD radio reception isn't Garmin's problem. So although the gaps in coverage are annoying, I can't fault Garmin for them. But I can definitely fault Garmin for the second flaw.

The device has a color-coded traffic indicator that shows up in the Maps view. When it's green it indicates no traffic on route. When it's yellow it indicates there's problem ahead but it's not serious enough to require a re-route. You can click on the indicator to see where the problem is and how long your delay is predicted to be. When it's red, it indicates a serious traffic problem ahead. The 3490 will either re-route you automatically (and tell you it's doing that) or you can click on the red indicator and choose a suggested alternative route by hand. All very reasonable you may think. So if you're driving along a freeway and the traffic indicator stays green you can relax and feel confident that you're not about to run into a major freeway backup - right? Wrong! And the reason is very simple. The unit also shows the green indicator when it has no traffic data. Which is exactly what happened to me today.

So to my annoyance, I came across a backup on I5 in Tustin, just after the I5 - I405 split. If the 3490 had told me there was a backup on I5, I could have easily diverted to the 405. Exactly the kind of decision that I expect a real-time traffic GPS to help me make. But I made the mistake of believing the green traffic indicator. And you can't trust it. Sometimes it means there's no traffic data, and sometimes it means there's no traffic. Those two are very different conditions. If only the unit would do something like gray-out the traffic indicator to indicate "no data" it wouldn't be so bad. At least I'd then know to check the traffic channel on the radio, or I could ask a passenger to look at SigAlert or GoogleMaps. But the way it works right now, the green traffic indicator is misleading and therefore ultimately annoying.

I need a device that gives me reliable continuous real-time traffic data in metropolitan areas. And I need a device that I can trust when it says there is no traffic en-route. Unfortunately the Garmin 3490LMT doesn't do either of those reliably, so it isn't the device for me. I'm returning mine tomorrow.
See all 354 customer reviews...

Kindle Fire HD 7", HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers

Kindle Fire HD 7", HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers From Kindle Price: $139.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com Average customer review:  (5734 customer reviews)

Product Description

The new Kindle Fire HD is a full-featured HD tablet at an SD price. There's more to enjoy than ever before with a stunning HD display, faster performance, longer battery life, and lighter design. With a light, durable design, plus easy to use parental controls and Kindle FreeTime, Kindle Fire HD is easy to share with anyone in your family

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1 in Amazon Devices
• Brand: Kindle
• Model: 53-000779
• Released on: 2013-10-02
• Dimensions: .42" h x 5.00" w x 7.50" l, .76 pounds
• Memory: 1GB
• Hard Disk: 8GB
• Native resolution: 1280x800
• Display size: 7

Features

• 1280x800 high definition LCD display with over one million pixels
• Fast 1.5GHz dual-core processor
• Ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
• Robust e-mail and calendar support for Gmail, Outlook, and more

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
3693 of 3854 people found the following review helpful.
Decent, inexpensive, entry-level tablet
By NF
This is the next-generation Kindle Fire HD but with an updated operating system and new features, a redesigned shell (with the power and volume control buttons more readily accessible) and the power adapter included rather than as a separate $19.99 accessory. And all of this at a great price. When you consider the formerly separate cost of the adapter, you'd have spent $80 more just a couple of months ago for almost the same tablet.

NOTE: This is the base model of the three models that Amazon is shipping this year: the Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Fire HDX, and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". Despite what I wrote above, this model is not really the successor for the Kindle Fire HD; it's the successor for the Kindle Fire. The successor for last year's Kindle Fire HD is this year's Kindle Fire HDX. I think a lot of reviewers are missing that point because of Amazon's unfortunate naming conventions. See http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KVHBC7NMNOGU for my review of the Kindle Fire HDX and http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YPITHVTYLCZT for my review of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9".

The Amazon tablets are primarily content consumption devices, best suited for connecting to the Amazon ecosystem, including videos, music, books, apps, and so on. With the free Prime trial subscription, you can check out the Prime Instant Video options and watch movies and shows at no charge until the Free Trial expires automatically. For videos, music, and books, the Amazon selection is at or near the top of the list; for apps, much less so. Roughly 90% of the top 100 apps are available on Amazon.com, as well as 100,000 others, but that's only a small fraction of what is available with Google or Apple.

It's not quite as bad as it sounds because, while the competition has ten times as many apps, most of those apps are, um ... how shall I put this ... less than stellar (look up Sturgeon's Law). If there are specific apps you need or want, you definitely should double-check before purchasing to make sure that they are available. The apps that will likely never become available on the Kindle Fire ecosystem are those apps that require Google services (i.e., anything that uses Google location services). One ameloriating factor is that it is possible to side-load most of the apps from the Google Play store onto an Amazon tablet and a web search on side-loading apps onto Kindle Fire will show dozens of websites with detailed instructions. If the app you are sideloading requires a Google service to work, though, it will not run on the Fire, even if you manage to successfully install it.

It has an updated OS and updated feature software (but does not include the free unlimited Mayday customer support feature; you'll have to move up to the HDX to get that). The software updates include the ability to download some Prime Instant Videos to your device and watch them offline, enhanced accessibility, enhanced enterprise controls and features (so now it's better suited for office work), enhanced email client, enhanced parental controls, improved X-Ray features (now including lyrics for music, as well as additional information for both books and movies), integration with GoodReads (coming soon), and the like.

Where I noticed the biggest difference was the home screen. The default view is still the carousel but if you swipe upward, you'll see a more traditional icon view. The "Recommended for you" display on the home screen is now smaller and much less obtrusive (and it can be turned off in the settings). Amazon has also added multi-tasking of a sort, where swiping up from the bottom of the screen while you're in an app shows you the 20 most-recently-used items from your home screen, so you can quickly switch from one app to another without returning to the home screen.

There is also a left panel available on most screens (but not the home screen) and in some of the apps, with navigation links and settings to make it easier to navigate and control your tablet or to navigate within the app. If you tap the center of your display and then swipe left while you're reading a book, for example, you'll see a panel that shows you the table of contents, the About the Author link, the Sync to Furthest Page Read link, and so on.

The Kindle FreeTime option and the parental controls are still among the best in the business. If you want a tablet for a child and want to control what they can access, how long they can use the tablet at any given time, and the like, Amazon has you covered.

You can now also schedule "Quiet Time" on the tablet, where notification sounds and pop-up notifications are disabled, either on a temporary basis by simply pushing a button or on a scheduled basis. Frankly, I doubt I'll ever use this feature but if you're the type who likes to read or watch video until you fall asleep, it's kind of nice to be able to disable all sounds so that you don't get rudely awakened when, e.g., someone plays a new word in your Words with Friends game.

As I noted, the Kindle Fire HD does not support the new "Mayday" feature that Amazon has been advertising. However, if you swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the Settings option on the top right, and then select Help, you'll see various options, including Wifi information and troubleshooting tips, a comprehensive User Guide, information on providing feedback on select features, and information on contacting Customer Service via email or phone.

So what are the drawbacks? No camera or microphone, so no video conferencing, no Skype, no picture-taking. A little underpowered with a slightly reduced battery life and slightly higher weight when compared to the newest tablets (e.g., the Kindle Fire HDX has a quad-core processor, 11 hour battery life, and a 10.7 oz. weight compared to the Kindle Fire HD dual-core processor, 10 hour battery life, and 12.2 oz weight). On the other hand, you're paying $90 less for the Kindle Fire HD so you're getting a pretty good value.

Also, like the other Kindle Fire tablets, as well as the Apple iPad and the Google Nexus, the Kindle tablet line doesn't have a micro-SD slot, so the assumption is that you're consuming content from the cloud. This is fine when you're using your tablet with wifi; not so good when you're traveling and want to load up your tablet with content for the trip. If the latter is something you expect to do regularly, you might want to consider the 16GB version. Also, if all of your content is on iTunes or on Google Play, you would have to side-load everything onto the tablet. As is true of Apple and Google tablets, there's no way to automatically connect to the cloud storage of the competition.

Update: I was asked in the comments about downloading Prime Instant Videos. I verified that I can download Prime Instant Videos to my Kindle Fire HD. However, that option is not available for all movies and TV shows. It looks like they had to get the permission of the studios and not all of them said yes. So, for example, I was able to download "Casablanca" but not able to download "The Avengers" even though both are part of the Prime Instant Video collection and both are available for free streaming.

Update: There seems to be some questions (and some misinformation) about the Amazon Prime 30-day free trial that comes with these tablets. That 30-day free trial expires automatically unless you specifically renew; they will not charge your credit card. That differs from the experience when you explicitly sign up for the Prime 30-day free trial on the Amazon.com website. In the latter case, unless you cancel, your 30-day free trial membership will automatically convert to the annual membership.

Update: There also seem to be some questions about the "special offers" version of this tablet. The special offers consist of an image with a link on the startup screen for the tablet. Once you're past that screen, there is absolutely no difference between the "with special offers" and "without special offers" tablet. Typical offers include advertising a new game, special deals on specific Kindle books, special deals on tablet accessories, or even the occasional deal on the tablets or e-readers themselves (a particularly noteworthy deal was the offer of $100 off the latest e-reader). If you find the advertisements irritating, you can always go to the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/myk) and pay $15 to turn them off forever.

Update: How does this Kindle Fire HD differ from the previous generation Kindle Fire HD? (Although the real comparison should be with the previous generation base Kindle Fire, for more on that, see below.)
- It's a bit lighter (12.2 oz vs. 13.9 oz)
- It's a bit smaller (7.5" x 5.0" x 0.42" vs. 7.6" x 5.4" x 0.4")
- It's a bit faster (1.5GHz dual-core CPU compared to 1.2GHz)
- A redesigned shell with power and volume control buttons that are easy to find!
- The base version of the new Kindle Fire HD has 8 GB instead of 16 GB.
- No camera
- No HDMI out (but see the description above for details on how Amazon is providing a software solution for sharing your tablet screen on your television)
- No ambient light sensor, so the brightness is always set manually
- It contains a power adapter, something that was sold separately with last year's model
- It has an updated OS and updated feature software.
- It's $60 cheaper ($80 cheaper if you count the power adapter). Since last year's Kindle Fire HD had 16GB rather than 8GB, perhaps the comparison ought to be that it's $30 cheaper ($50 if you count the power adapter).

As I wrote above, this isn't the successor for the 2012 Kindle Fire HD; it's the successor for the base Kindle Fire. There were three tablets last year: Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HD 8.9". There are three tablets this year: Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HDX, and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". If you bought the Kindle Fire HD last year, the equivalent model this year is the Kindle Fire HDX. So how does this year's base model compare with last year's base model?
- It's got a much better display (1280x800 vs. 1024x600), plus better technology driving the display (10-point multi-touch vs. 2-point multi-touch). The display is also brighter and cleaner. There really is no comparison.
- It's got better sound (including Dolby audio).
- It's much faster (1.5GHz OMAP 4470 vs. 1.2GHz OMAP4430).
- It's lighter (12.2 oz vs. 14.1 oz).
- It has better battery life (10 hours vs. 9 hours).
- It's $20 cheaper ($40 cheaper if you count the power adapter).
Last year's base model had no microphone or camera; neither does this year's. Last year's base model had no HDMI output; neither does this year's. Last year's base model had 8GB storage; so does this year's. Last year's base model had no ambient light sensor; neither does this year's. And so on... When you look at it that way, this is a heck of a deal.

How does the Kindle Fire HD compare to the competition? In this class, the major competition would be the 2012 Apple iPad Mini, which Apple is still selling, and the 2012 Google Nexus 7, which Google no longer sells but which is still available on Amazon.

Display:
HD: 1280x800 - 7" display (216 ppi)
Nexus: 1280x800 - 7" display (216 ppi)
iPad Mini: 1024x768 - 7.9" display (163 ppi)

These are all decent, previous-generation displays, with the iPad Mini both a winner (it has a larger screen) and a loser (it has lower resolution). It's worth noting that the aspect ratio of the HD and Nexus is 16:10 while the aspect ratio of the iPad Mini is 4:3. Where this matters is watching video. If you're watching an old television show, a 4:3 aspect ratio is fine. If you're watching a high-def movie, the 4:3 aspect ratio is going to leave large black bars on your screen and the video will be much more compressed than it would be on the HD and Nexus. Apple chose to maintain backward compatibility with prior devices rather than moving up.

Sound: The HD has Dolby Audio; the other two have standard stereo sound. The iPad Mini also makes the same mistake that Amazon made in its first-generation tablet: putting both speakers on the same side (in this case, at the bottom of the tablet). If you're watching a video, you'll have the tablet turned sideways and the sound will all come from the same side. The HD has the speakers placed in a more appropriate location.

Networking: All have dual-band wifi.

Size and Weight:
HD: 7.5" x 5.0" x 0.42" and 12.2 oz.
Nexus: 7.81" x 4.72" x 0.41" and 12 oz.
iPad Mini: 7.87" x 5.3" x 0.28" and 11 oz.

There's really nothing to choose from here. All three are small, thin, and light. The iPad Mini is the largest but it also has the largest screen, and it is the lightest and thinnest.

Processor:
HD: Dual-core 1.5GHz OMAP 4470, 1GB memory
Nexus: Dual-core 1.20 GHz Tegra 3.0, 1GB memory
iPad Mini: Dual-core A5, 0.5GB memory

The HD wins this round, although none of these is a real barn-burner, which is not a surprise at this price point. Both the HD and the Nexus have more RAM than does the Mini.

Cameras: Both the Nexus and the iPad Mini have 1.2 MP front and 5MP rear cameras. The HD has no camera. If you need a front-facing camera, you'll need to move up to the HDX. If you need a rear-facing camera, you'll need to move up to the 8.9" HDX.

Battery Life: HD = 10 hours; Nexus = 9.5 hours; iPad Mini = 10 hours.

Expansion: None of them have a microSD slot; they all assume that you'll be using their respective cloud systems.

Price: The HD is $139, the Nexus is approximately $165, and the iPad Mini is $299. The iPad Mini is priced very high for what it offers; Apple dropped the price only $30 (down from $329) when it debuted its 2013 iPad Mini with Retina display. The HD is really a great price but you don't get a camera with this model.

From my own perspective, there is no single clear winner, as each tablet has strengths and weaknesses. If you already have Amazon Prime, the HD is a no-brainer, with the access to the Prime Instant Video and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. If you want apps, Apple and Google both have far more choices. If you want to watch movies, I'd pick either the HD or the Nexus, as Apple's aspect ratio and its lagging sound put it at the back of the pack. If price is a factor, then I'd pick the the HD, unless you really need a camera, in which case, I'd recommend the Nexus.

If you're heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, i.e., you already own an iPhone or iPad and all of your content is on iTunes, the HD really isn't the tablet for you. Similarly, if you love browsing Google Play for apps to play on your Samsung Galaxy phone, you're likely to be disappointed in the section available on Amazon (although, as I note above, most of the Google Play apps can be sideloaded onto the tablet). If you love your Google Now or Siri, neither of which will ever be available on Amazon, this isn't the tablet for you.

Update: It was pointed out to me in the comments that I missed a couple of alternatives that are worth considering. One alternative is the 2012 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet, which is still available here on Amazon.com. (The 7" Kindle Fire HD is no longer available on Amazon but you might be able to find it at a local Best Buy or office superstore as those stores run through their inventory.) If you want a larger, true HD tablet for $229, the 2012 HD 8.9" tablet is pretty compelling. The only drawback is that it's a two-hander; this isn't a tablet you're going to be comfortable holding in one hand for very long. But sometimes the extra screen real estate is worth it.

A second alternative is the 2012 Barnes & Noble 7" Nook. This was a very good tablet in 2012 and it still holds up in 2013 as a bargain tablet. The specs make it competitive with the Kindle Fire HD and B&N is currently selling it for $129. It's an even more compelling deal because of two factors: the first is that it has a micro-SD slot, so you can expand its available capacity, and it provides access to the Google Play store, so you have the full range of Android apps. The one drawback is that there is reason to question whether B&N is going to remain in business, as it's been steadily losing money and market share over the past few years, with no signs yet of that stopping. Also, like the Kindle Fire HD, the Nook doesn't have a camera.

The bottom line: The Kindle Fire HD tablet is primarily intended as a viewport into Amazon content and Amazon services. If you have Amazon Prime and you have Amazon eBooks in your collection, this tablet is a no-brainer. The price is low, particularly for what you get, and it's a small, light, budget (without being cheap) tablet with a good display and good sound. This really is an excellent value.

Update:
Now that I have a Kindle Fire HDX tablet (see http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KVHBC7NMNOGU for my review), I'm in a little better position to talk about which one I'd recommend:

You should get the Kindle Fire HDX if:
- You're a techie who wants the latest and greatest, the best display, the fastest processor.
- You need a camera for Skype or other video app.
- You play graphics-intensive games (e.g., racing games).
- The size and weight matter to you, even in such small increments as this.
- You think you will need the Mayday technical support.

You should get the Kindle Fire HD if:
- Price is a factor. $90 cheaper is not an insignificant amount. This really is an excellent value for the money.
- You want an inexpensive tablet for a child (and, for this case, the lack of a camera might well be a plus)
- All you want is a basic tablet for reading books, playing music, watching the occasional video, playing Words with Friends, and the like. While the screen on the HD isn't as stunning as is it on the HDX, this is still a true HD screen and it is very good.

Note: I check back here pretty regularly. If you have questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.
1975 of 2074 people found the following review helpful.
A 4.5 star tablet (Updated)
By MarkM
First off, I would like to say this tablet is a great deal for just $139.99. I tried finding a tablet for under $100 that would just work properly, and to let you know, it's impossible. Secondly, I want to tell you how I decided to buy this tablet.

I first bought the 9 inch Dragon touch tablet for 78$ but to be blunt it sucked. It was so slow that the web browser would always freeze, even if I did a simple Google search. I did not want to take a chance with it anymore and returned it after 2 days of using it; then I decided to give the kindle fire HD a chance.

Exterior: The exterior is well built. No loose pieces, and the plastic is very firm. My previous cheap tablet had plastic that felt it was going to snap if you held it too hard. Of course the iPad mini has a glass screen and aluminum body, but it also starts at $329. There are 2 ports: a micro usb and a headphone jack to plug in your headphones. The nice thing is that the micro usb is universal and finding a plug is cheap and easy to find. Although, amazon does include a very nice and not cheaply made cable/ wall charger along with your kindle. The previous kindle did not include them and they are worth $20. The buttons for the volume and power are a nice touch. I would not be surprised if new generation tablets will include these style buttons.
Only down side is there is no port for an SD card so you can store more memory. It would be a nice feature but if you really need all that storage, go buy a computer.

Display: One word, amazing. Maybe I am pushing it, but the screen is so clear. I own an iPhone 5 and my eyes prefer my kindle. I love reading on this machine and for the price, amazon did a good job with this one.

Internal/processor: I never owned the older versions of the kindle, so I won't be able to compare to them. I can say that this kindle is not slow. My previous tablet took a couple of seconds to respond to my touch but there is no delay on this kindle. As far as apps go, I downloaded that deer hunting game to test out if the kindle can handle it. The answer is yes, and didn't even struggle :).

WiFi: Surfing the web is awesome on this device. I watched a tv series(arrested development, which I do recommend) and the video playback was great. It was very smooth and even when I went outside the video was fine. I added the outside part because my 2010 MacBook pro starts to get a jittery WiFi connection when I bring it outside my house. But the overall speed is in between my iPhone 5 and MacBook pro, where it should be.

Battery: Yeah... I noticed the older version of the kindle was 11 hours and this one is 10 hours. But if you're on the kindle for 10 hours straight, time to GET A JOB! (Read update 10/23/13 lower in the review for true battery life)

Camera: I wish there was a camera and Mic in this kindle so I could Skype with my family. Keeping the price and size in mind you can't really blame amazon. Well, at least the NSA can't see me or hear what I'm doing. If you want those features then you can always buy the better version of the kindle. (Kindle HDX)

Sound: I don't know what the previous kindle sounded like, but this kindle has great speakers. I was in my room watching my show and my roommates(my parents..) told me to turn it down. I could understand everything that was said in the show and that's all that matters. If you bought this tablet to listen to quality music, I don't know what to tell you.

Setup: I've seen lots of people saying that the setup is a pain in the you know what. I was waiting to see what they were talking about but I had no issue. When I received my tablet, I turned on the screen and connected to my WiFi. I had no problems and then an amazon load screen came up and I said, here we goooo... The load screen only lasted 2 minutes and it was completed. I didn't have another one, nor did I have an issue setting up my kindle. My email, WiFi, amazon account, and other set ups went very smoothly without any issues.
I am not doubting that other people had problems with their tablets, no electronic device is perfect. Either amazon saw that there was a problem and fixed it, I got lucky with my tablet, or maybe so many people were trying to register their new kindle and amazon servers could not handle it. Wouldn't have been the first time a new product had its servers go down(obamacare, ios 7, COD servers, etc.)

Bluetooth: Haven't tried it yet, sorry! But apparently no one has any issues with it. 10/21/13 I have tested it out by hooking it up to my car and it works. I don't own a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard but you should not have a problem pairing them with the kindle.

SO, if you want a general summary, this is a fantastic tablet for the price. This tablet is probably the cheapest tablet that you can buy with it being dependable. There are a lot of cheaper tablets out there, but are only good if you want bald spots. Keep the price in mind when buying this tablet, this is why amazon offers a lot better kindles that cost more. This kindle is for someone that is on a budget, wants a device to surf the web,reading books, looking at photos, watching movies, playing games, and obviously "facebooking." If you want something more "show off-ie" then this isn't the kindle tablet for you.
Also, keep in mind Amazon is an extraordinary company. They are fair priced for almost everything they sell on their website, especially their books. I cannot thank them enough for saving me hundreds of dollars on books I need for college. For not being an electronics company like Apple, Samsung Sony etc, they can definitely give those companies a run for their money with their tablets. So thank you amazon for making a very affordable, dependable tablet!

I will update this if I see something out of the ordinary or if something goes wrong that shouldn't have.

P.S. If there spelling mistakes, sorry. I used my new kindle to type this all out. I figured it would be good practice.

UPDATE 10/21/13

First, I want to mention is that I am having sound glitches. When I'm watching a video the sound just shuts off and I have to press the rewind button 1 to 3 times. In doing so, the video loads itself again and the sound magically comes back on. I know it's a software issue because sometimes when I load my apps there is no sound even when it is turned on. I shut off the app (sometimes a couple of times) and the sound comes back. If anyone knows how to fix the issue or has the same problem, let me know. Thank you.
Another problem I have is trying to connect the micro usb cable in. I think it's a problem because the way the sides of the kindle are angled. Usually I plug in all my electronics at night, with no lights on. But with the kindle, I have to leave the light on so I can find the port to plug in the charger.
There is no flash player in the kindle, but that's no surprise since android and iPads don't either. There might be manual ways on installing it but I wouldn't know.
When you use you're kindle while charging it, it gets pretty warm. Not really a problem just something that was noticeable.

Now, time for some good news! The display is great outside, I can watch all my shows when the sun is out. This is a huge plus for me.
The true battery life. I tested it out by watching 4 episodes of a show that lasted about 22 minutes. Each show drained my battery 5%, keep in mind my display brightness was set around 75%. Doing the math, the battery life will last you roughly 7.5 hours when watching videos. When I web surf, read books, play a game here and there I would have enough battery life to last me a little less than 2 days. I think the battery life would be a lot better if there was a light sensor on the kindle, but there isn't. So if you want to save battery you need to manually change the brightness yourself because the kindle is not able to.

Two suggestions so far.
1. Amazon, I wish your kindle cases were cheaper. Two of your cases cost as much as the kindle itself! They do look nice and pretty cool but not for that price. Sorry, but I went with the 20$ marware case and it does the job.
2. Instead of offering $2 amazon music credit incentives when you buy certain products. A $2 amazon coins incentive would be incredible. Almost everything in the app store costs money and amazon coins would be very useful for a lot of your loyal customers.

11/26/13

My previous issue that I had with my kindle (sound disappearing) has been resolved. I am not sure what it was but I think it had something to do with the recent update.

Some people are angry and giving horrible reviews because this isn't like the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. READ THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING. This kindle fire HD is marketed as the improved, previous Kindle Fire, while the kindle fire HDX is the new and improved, previous kindle fire HD. I do not want to bash anybody, but I do not think that this Kindle should have such bad reviews because of others' stupid mistakes. So, if you are not on a budget and want an even greater tablet; the Kindle Fire HDX is what you should look into.

The other cool thing about the recent update is, if you bought a kindle with special offers, the lock screen now has a notification bar. Before it just showed the special offers on the screen. Now on the lock screen, at the top of the screen, it shows the time, battery life and other notification like new emails. Before you had to unlock the screen to see any of this. Nice touch Amazon!

Also, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
1972 of 2136 people found the following review helpful.
Has some nice new features, but I'm glad I kept my 2012 KFHD too!
By Judy Schechter
This new KFHD replaces last year's basic Kindle Fire. Although it has some cool new features, it lacks a camera, microphone, and HDMI port. For this reason, I'm glad I kept my 2012 model since it does have these 3 features!

Here are my initial impressions of the 2013 Kindle Fire HD: I like the placement of the on/off & volume buttons. Being on opposite sides makes it unlikely to hit the wrong one. I never cared for the carousel (this is what you see when you turn your Kindle on and it contains all the books & apps you have recently accessed), and now there's an option to have favorites showing on the home screen instead, and the apps/books can be rearranged to your liking. I was very surprised that web pages can no longer be placed in the favorites bar (which is now being called "home"). I don't know why Amazon removed this option, and we also are unable to have the last accessed web page appear in the carousel. But you can still bookmark your favorite web pages & YouTube videos for easy access.

When I play songs purchased from Amazon's MP 3 store the lyrics scroll down karaoke style. Nice feature, but it doesn't work on every song. This device has a cool new feature called "Quick Switch", which allows us, when reading or using an app, to bring up recently accessed items with a swipe instead of having to exit the book or app you were using and go back to the "home" screen to open up another one.

In terms of sound, I find it to be tinny and not as rich as it is on the original KFHD. But you can really improve the sound of music by wearing a good set of ear buds. Ironically, music sounds muffled unless you hold the device in landscape mode with your hands covering the speakers. Holding it this way projects the sound out to you.

In terms of speed, this new model loads web pages and email faster, which isn't surprising considering that it has a 1.5GHz processor compared to 1.2GHz on the older model.
I like the placement of the USB charging port. It's now on the upper left hand side (when in landscape mode). On the older model it's on the bottom, which makes it awkward to stand it up while charging.

**AMAZON PRIME VIDEO DOWNLOADS HAS ARRIVED!! If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, in addition to being able to stream videos on your Kindle you can now download many of them. I love being able to watch shows offline when I'm away from a WiFi connection! It took about 5 minutes for a 45 minute television show to download. We can choose the picture quality we prefer (either "good", "better", or "best"), and the higher the quality, the longer it takes to download & the more storage space it uses. A 45 minute show at the "best" resolution used up a whopping 2GB of storage space! No worries though because it's a cinch to delete the videos after watching them. Most of the Prime tv episodes can be downloaded, such as Chopped, Nova, Twilight Zone, and the The Universe, but only a fraction of the movies have this capability so far.

Amazon promises a software update in mid-November that will allow us to sort our books and apps into "collections"! This will be a wonderful feature to have because now we have to scroll through all of our content to find the book or app we want to access.
***UPDATE***
My device received the software update, and now I can organize all of my books and apps into collections!! And we can put the folders on the home screen, not just in our content libraries!! This is a great new feature that I've wanted for quite a while and it adds to my enjoyment of using the device.

Many people are complaining about the lack of a user guide, so I wanted to mention that it can be accessed from the device itself. (You need an active WIFI connection to complete this task)!! Just swipe down from the top of the screen where the time is displayed & tap on "help".
Here's a link for Amazon.com help:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeld=201306980
Then tap on "Get help with your Kindle device or Reading App", and then tap on "Kindle Fire HD 2nd Generation". This should help get everyone started!
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