I’ve had this thing for a month or so now and it’s time to jot down a few thoughts.  It’s not an iPad killer.  It’s pretty lame as a tablet computer right out of the box.  I may do a “root” job on mine after the new has worn off some.  Amazon is promising updates soon that may help with some complaints people have been expressing about the carousel and a few other things.

That said, it’s handy to pack around the house from room to room.  I take it to the bedroom to read my books and the backlit screen lets me turn the lights off so the dogs can get their rest. Handy for keeping up on comments on a blog post but the Silk browser isn’t all that handy for general browsing and the lack of a keyboard limits it’s usefulness.  For some reason Amazon has made it hard for the casual user to install more familiar and useful browsers.  It can be done but it is a real shame that they have made it harder than it needs to be.

I can see that someone who is handy with tech and has time to burn could have a load of fun with this thing, tweaking the operating system, downloading fun code, and sharing tips and howtos with like minded folks on various fora.