gadgets

Here’s what I had to say about the Fire in the column I wrote about it: “I’m impressed by the Fire, and I think millions will buy it and love it. Apple’s finally got big-time competition for tablet computers.”

Do I prefer the Fire over the iPad? No way. But for $199, it’s really impressive.

That’s because the Fire is exceptionally easy to use, with virtually no learning curve. You take it out of the box, and you can pretty much start using it for just the sort of things you’d expect from a tablet computer — watching TV shows and movies, reading books and playing games. And for $199, the Kindle is a real bargain.

Here’s an article from Web100 with some other views of what the Fire does (and does not) have to offer.

Sometimes I have an idea for a column, and then I never get around to writing it. Maybe it’s because I’ve lost interest in the topic, or it seems dated — too many others have written about it — or I’ve realized there’s not enough there to make a column.

Here’s one I planned to write and chose not to: “What Not to Buy Your Kids for the Holidays.”

I thought about timing this for Black Friday. Then I worried it would be too curmudgeonly. And it probably would have been.

The general gist of it: Cross off gadgets from your kids’ holiday lists. (I’m talking about your kids who are 10 years old or under.) Don’t buy your 8-year-old an iPod touch or a Kindle Fire or a DS for the holidays. Kids are immersed in technology, and they’re better off if you delay those devices, especially the ones doubling as advanced communications tools (with email, social networking, phone capabilities, and the like).

I know it’s hard to resist: My daughter wants this stuff.

OK, there it is. I didn’t write it — as a column. But I thought it.

ALLAN HOFFMAN

Yes, I like the Kindle Fire

The column I didn’t write: “What Not to Buy Your Kids for the Holidays”