Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HDX 7", HDX Display, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE, 16 GB - Includes Special Offers (Previous Generation - 3rd)

When I ordered my Kindle Fire HDX 7, I was like a good deal of you I imagine. I was unsure, wondering if the reported flaws were consistant throughout it's lifespan. But I will say now that I've had a chance to play around with it, it really is an incredible piece of technology, especially for people who are new to tablets and want to get their feet wet.As the case with the Kindle Fire HD, the HDX has a forked variation of android. This means that they are slower to update and their choice of apps will be limited. But this doesn't really mean that it's a terrible downside, especially since you have more access to amazon features, something that most android tablets do not provide enough of. The user interface itself is fairly easy to navigate, but limited in customization due to it's OS being heavily modified by amazon. As mentioned previously, if you are new to tablets, you can't go wrong with the HDX, in either of it's models. If you aren't used to technology in general, then this tablet will be perfect for you. It teaches you how to operate the tablet, which swipes do what and so forth. If that doesn't convince you, then the new mayday might do the job. When you press this button, you can communicate with a member of amazon's technical support team who can temporarily take control of your tablet to show you how to get from point a to point b. The difference between stock android and the modified android OS (aka Fire OS 3.0 as amazon calls it) are obvious, starting with the carousel. The carousel itself is a tray of apps and media that you use or prefer to use the most. Though I do love it, my only complaint is that I wish I could modify what gets added to it, so I could have more control over it. Below the carousel are your installed apps, which I absolutely adore, especially since stock android forces you into multi-home screen configuration (which I hate).The choice of apps may be few, but the selection of media is massive to say the least. If you live in north america, then you may know from experience that some videos, books, and music simply aren't available in the google play store. I have to be honest though, I never really did care much for google play's selection of apps, so having a limited selection really isn't that bad. Amazon offers a free app of the day though, so whatever app that is offered for free may vary from a free to paid variation. So downloading it will mean that you will have that app forever if you snag it. So the answer to the question "what do you get out of the amazon ecosystem?" is this, their entire cache of media, which is nearly perfect. Some movies and episodes might only be available for rent, but that is still more then what you get with google play. Let's be honest here, when you are buying a tablet, you aren't buying it for what isn't available in another person, but what is available to you. With amazon's x-ray, any x-ray enabled song gives you access to it's lyrics. X-Ray enabled movies and television episodes give you access to which actors play what and things of that sort, allowing you to find out who that one actor is through the help of IMDB. Books give you access to characters and which parts of the story they might show up in and so on. Keep inmind that while HD, HDX and paperwhite owners will find themselves enjoying x-ray, non-amazon tablets do not have this feature. If you have prime, then you will find yourself with the option to download prime-enabled movies and episodes. Having access to prime's library really is something to write home about, especially if you can't stand netflix. I have yet to fully test out the prime-enabled features, but I can safely say that prime owners will LOVE the HDX. The downside to this is that you can only download a handful of their videos (in my experience). But never the less, instant video is still a worthwhile feature to consider for prime members.If you have access to children of any sort (be they through babysitting or your own grandchildren), then freetime will be the answer to some of your problems. You can grant them special limited access to the tablet, which can be very helpful I'd imagine. But considering that I don't have kids nor do I babysit, I wouldn't know. So this is strictly up to you in how you prefer freetime. Playing a song, reading an e-book, or watching a movie is what the HDX is designed for. It offers incredible HD-quality graphics and stunning audio to make your experiences enjoyable. With specifications that are equal to what the nexus 7 offers and considering that there is a 64gb varient (which I own), it is the perfect media-consumption tablet to bring with you on vacation.If you use the internet frequently enough, then you will have nothing to fear! The HDX has a decent email client and web browser (aka silk). Silk is comparable to the stock android browser and should you not want to use the various side-loaded youtube apps, you can still access youtube via Silk and the quality does not suffer in the slightest. The email client does what any email client should and sticks to it, checking and deleting emails. Though I will admit there is a lack of "select all emails" option, but this hardly matters to me. Being able to check my email is all I prefer. The calender (or day planner if you prefer) is simple and to the point, proving that not every feature has to come with forty or fifty functions.If you choose not to pay that extra 30.00 to remove special features, you are treated to a lockscreen with ads. I understand that should you pay to remove the ads, you are treated to a handful of features. But having ads on my kindle is nice, since it gives me access to new sales and I like to save money if I can help it.In the end, if you like stock android and long for it's customizability, then don't get an HDX. An HDX is for one group of people, fans of the amazon ecosystem, people who are aware of it not being similar to a stock android tablet and are fine with it. This tablet does well at what it was designed for, media consumption. Which honestly, is something that I prefer to be honest. I have a nexus 7 here and it didn't offer HALF of the functions that are found on an HDX. There is no having to pay over 20.00 to fix the problems present in stock android and thanks to mirror cast, you can use your HDX to stream movies to any mirror cast-enabled device. Over

This is my third KF - I had the first and second versions of the non HD Fire.This new Kindle Fire HDX 7" is simply amazing. I'm going to give my first impressions of this great device and will probably add to this review in the coming weeks.First off, please do your research before you buy a tablet of any kind. If you like Apple products, by all means, fork over the extra $100 plus and get an iPad mini. If you don't like a device, don't waste time trashing it just because it's not your preference. If you are looking for a blazing fast, easy to use, easy to fall in love with device - look no further than the Kindle Fire HDX :-)I purchased this as an upgrade to my gen 2 Kindle Fire mainly because I wanted to use Bluetooth speakers. Once I started reading about all of other upgrades, I couldn't wait to pre order this one. Here are a few of the improvements I have noticed so far.It's sooo much lighter than the older KF! I have some issues with my grip, thumb dexterity etc and this new Kindle is so much easier to carry and hold while reading. My new Kindle has 4x the storage and is about 4 ounces lighter - it may not seem like much difference, but it is!The web browser is greatly improved over older Silk versions. I had sideloaded Dolphin on my older KF, just because it worked so much better than Silk. I still put Dolphin on this one, but don't use it nearly as much - mainly for those sites that rely on Flash.HDX display is awesome!! I thought my older KF had a great display but this new one is so gorgeous. I never had an original HD Kindle, so I can't compare that, but X must be better, right?? :-) I like the Houzz app and the pictures are so clear, you feel like you could walk into the rooms. I enjoy watching older TV shows on my Kindle and even those old black and white programs look better on this screen.Reading is such a pleasure on this device. The lighter weight and sharp display are great for books. I read about 5 books a week, both print and digital, and I think I will be reading more on my Kindle than before. I started to time the download speed for a book, but it was so quick I didn't have time to start my stopwatch. It was a shorter book (about 200 pages), but talk about fast!The quad core processor is very, very fast. I don't have the fastest home wi-fi and my other devices sometimes get hung up while trying to download or play videos. The KF HDX has had no problem at all. I have streamed Netflix, Amazon Video and used the Watch ABC app with no trouble at all. I have the wi fi hotspot feature on my phone and this Kindle connected fine and was still fast on that connection.This device responds so quickly, it's scary.The camera is nice, but I don't really use it much. I did take a picture of my cat and it looked great :-). If you Skype or video chat, I am certain that it will meet your needs.I read one reviewer's statement that they miss having GPS on the new KF. I very rarely used it on my older KF and don't miss it on this one at all. I have Google Maps and Navigation on my phone if I need directions. I figure we get tracked enough already, so no biggie for me.The speakers are great, of course. I'm not a big music critic and generally an AM/FM radio is enough for me. My husband is a big music lover and he gave his approval to the sound, so I know they must be good :-). I use a bluetooth speaker when I watch movies or TV, but even without a speaker you won't have any trouble with the sound on here.Amazon Appstore vs Google Play - some people have very strong feelings about the app choice on Amazon and I do have a couple of apps that I sideloaded (Dolphin and Olive Tree Bible). I have an Android phone so I know that Google may have more choice than Amazon, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. It's very easy to sideload apps, just search online. I prefer Amazon even on my phone. Again, it's a matter of doing your research and making an informed decision.I am very pleased with my new Kindle. You won't regret your purchase!