Kindle Fire 8 as Backup eBook Reader for Logos

I currently own a 10.5" iPad Pro, plus a Kindle Paperwhite. I do quite a bit of long-term reading on the Kindle Paperwhite, plus I do some reading and run some of my school apps (Logos being one) on the iPad Pro.

After upgrading my iPad Pro to iPadOS 13, I've had some issues with battery charging this week (battery wasn't charging to 100%, plus draining on the charger). I've rebooted the iPad and tried another power socket, and I did manage to get it charged to 100% today, so I'm continuing to monitor it to see if the issue is resolved or if it re-surfaces (I've had a previous 10.5" iPad Pro have a similar issue which was due to a hardware issue, so I hope this isn't a hardware issue).

With Black Friday/Cyber Monday coming up, I know Amazon will be having Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. With the battery issue cropping up with my iPad Pro, I wonder if I should look at going ahead and investing in a low-cost Kindle Fire such as the Kindle Fire 8, mainly as a backup eBook Reader (especially for Logos).

I wouldn't be using this as an "iPad replacement", nor would I be "switching" to the Kindle Fire as a dedicated tablet. I'm hoping my iPad Pro holds, as I love my iPad Pro, and I want to keep using my iPad Pro as my iPad. I am currently a Prime Student member, but I may be letting it lapse when it comes up for renewal, so all the Prime media stuff wouldn't be a big deal.

Here would be my main uses for the Kindle Fire:

1. Run a handful of eBook apps that I also run on my iPad Pro as a backup eBook reader in case I have further issues with my iPad Pro (Logos being a big one). Since I'm in a PhD program, I constantly need to have quick access to my school books, as I usually use my iPad Pro for reading textbooks in class.
2. Run a copy of my school's video conferencing software (it's on the Amazon store) as a backup in case I needed to access it from another device.
3. Run a handful of troubleshooting apps for work, including a couple of weather apps (there’s a custom app I have from work that’s an APK I’d like to find out if it runs on the Kindle Fire if someone with one can manually test it for me, they can email me at nparker[at]earthnetworks[dot]com for details).

Here are a few questions I have:

1. Most of the apps I'd run on it are on the Amazon store (including Logos). There's a couple of eBook reading apps from my school not on the Amazon store, but they are on Google Play. Is it worth installing Google Play on the Kindle Fire for those? If so, is there a simple way to do it directly from the Kindle Fire (since I don't have a dedicated Windows PC)? Those eBook readers also have web app versions I can login to, so I could run them in a browser if that'd be simpler.
2. Is there a way to install apps and their settings on an SD card, and if the Kindle Fire ever dies, could I pull the SD card, pop it into a new Kindle Fire, and keep going? That'd be a quick way to have backups of these apps I use for school and a quick way to keep going if it'd work.
3. Should I run antivirus on the Kindle Fire? I have a Webroot license I could install on it.
4. Should I consider this investment over Black Friday/Cyber Monday as an extra device for reading eBooks for my PhD program?

Thanks!

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Comments

JT (alabama24)

As I believe Kevin mentioned in another thread, the Kindle Fire devices use old technology and old versions of Android. Therefore the shelf life of those devices is shorter when brand new. FL has recently announced new minimum standards.

Nathan Parker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076308#Comment_1076308

Good points.

Someone else on a tech forum I also discussed this on had a great experience with an iPad Mini (I keep forgetting the iPad Mini exists and only keep thinking about larger iPads). I should consider instead investing in an iPad Mini as a secondary iPad and backup.

I could mainly install the apps I mentioned above on it and treat it as the same as I would have with what I mentioned with the Kindle Fire, but the extra advantage is since it is an iPad, my full catalog of iOS apps would be available to install anytime, so if my iPad Pro ever did bite the dust and I needed a backup fast, not only would I have an iPad Mini with my critical apps on hand, but I could easily install any other app my iPad Pro was running I'd need access to, as well as have all my iCloud data at my fingertips.

The iPad Mini would be a great size for reading eBooks in classes, plus a good backup iPad in the event my main iPad Pro ever went.

Additionally, I could always consider the low-end educational-priced iPad for a backup as well since it is close to the size as my iPad Pro, but with the Mini, I would then have two sizes, one super comfortable for reading, and one more optimized for work, and if I had to perform some work on the Mini in the event of a major issue with the Pro, I could.

Mike Binks

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076318#Comment_1076318

I should consider instead investing in an iPad Mini as a secondary iPad and backup.

Given the ubiquitous nature of 'next day delivery' wouldn't you be better advised to keep the cash in your account and in the unfortunate event of a failure invest in the current technology at that time?

David Ames

I've had some issues with battery charging this week (battery wasn't charging to 100%,

Question: Are you using the charger and cable that came with the unit? Have found that a generic cable can [sometimes] double the charge time.

Jan Krohn

I've been using a Fire (5th generation) as a backup reader for about 4 years. I paid about 50 Euro for it. Now that Logos will no longer support Android 5.1, it will be time to decommission the device soon.

I'm not an Amazon friend, but they got these devices right. Although they contain old hardware, they're perfect for reading, audio books, browsing, watching videos, and simple apps. The geat disadvantage is that everything is tied to Amazon. It takes some discipline not to use it to buy even more stuff from Amazon.

A device with up to date hardware costs at least triple the price of a Fire tablet. However, you can't it for the triple amount of time (12 years). Therefore, unless you use apps with excessive graphics or memory requirements, the Fire tablet gives you more value for money.

Nathan Parker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076343#Comment_1076343

Thanks everyone for the comments.

While there is next day deliver for some stuff, it’s the configuration/setup time investment that is my biggest issue. Generally my iCloud or iTunes backups don't restore everything back perfectly, so I still have to do some post-restore configuring. If that occurs during class time, that's going to set me back or set me scrambling to use another device for work.

I am using a genuine Apple charger (I'm using the fast charger with this one). I don't use non-Apple chargers. My socket I have it plugged into (the power strip) may be causing issues. Today I ocassonally heard the charging "ding" even when I wasn't touching it, so it may be intermitterly sending power.

With Logos not supporting Android 5.1, I likely wouldn't get a Kindle Fire since I'd probably be blowing my money on it. Other Amazon gear I have I've been generally pleased with, even though I'm not a huge Amazon shopper. Alexa has been a nice voice assistant, my family enjoys Fire TV (I have an Apple TV as well, but I purchased the Fire TV so I can eventually combine our antenna TV and steaming on one device), and I enjoy my Kindle for long-term reading.

Martin Denham (Faithlife)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1076481#Comment_1076481

Please be aware that most, if not all, Kindle devices currently being shipped by Amazon run a version of Fire OS based on Android 7.1 or 9.0.
For information regarding which version of Android a Kindle device runs please refer to this wiki page. The Amazon Kindle Fire product pages refer to each devices Generation instead of OS version.

Ray Timmermans

In my view, yes. There are a number of Android apps that work well on my rooted 7" and regular 10" Kindle tablet (will be buying the 8" soon}, Pocketbook, Librera, PDF and Djvu Viewer, are my favs (all available on Google Play}. Each has its strong points including text to speech which I find excellent when eyes are tired. The 10" has kept me from buying an iPad as it is cheap and sturdy.

I often times use them more often than Logos since many of the books are available free on Archive.org in multiple formats. If you want to put Google Play on your Kindle see the Rootjunkie videos on Youtube. Very easily done with a special BAT file writen by the Youtuber that will do it all for you. Good Luck