Nathanb Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Anyone start eyeballing the new 50 dollar fires for practiscore? I picked one up to tinker with and it seems like it will be pretty perfect for this purpose. Runs natively. Super cheap. Can get 6 tablets for 300 bucks. Any downsides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 How is the screen in sunlight? How is the battery life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanb Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 That's what I'm going to test out this weekend. Direct sunlight could be interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZackJones Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Let us know how it goes. I'm happy wit the NST's but I'm always interested in something that may work better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdphotoguy Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) I got one the day they came out and used it at a USPSA match. Battery life seemed to be good, the screen was readable, but it was an overcast day. The issue I had and need to test again, is it seemed to have a weaker WiFi connection with our APs then a Nook at the same location. Also they I bet they don't take a drop as well as a Nook, so need to find a protective case that will fit. Amazon has one meant to protect the tablet for children. That might work, but added an addition $19 to the cost per device. Another advantage is the device boots up in about 20 seconds. Edited October 16, 2015 by jdphotoguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I'm thinking they'll give new Practiscore users an easy path into deploying the system at their matches without having to scrounge around various places for leftover new or used B&N Simple Touch Nooks. And you don't have to root them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdphotoguy Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 I'm thinking they'll give new Practiscore users an easy path into deploying the system at their matches without having to scrounge around various places for leftover new or used B&N Simple Touch Nooks. And you don't have to root them. Excellent point, although rooting is simple, it still intimidates the heck out of non techies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Rooting is relatively simple now, thanks to Chris Wren and RootnScoreit. I tried it about a year before he put the first version together, and I've been in IT since 1977, and >>I<< found the other so-called "solutions" just completely unapproachable. I tried initially and couldn't get it to work and abandoned the whole idea for 10 months. The toughest part about RootnScoreit now is that you have to find a way to create a bootable microsd card on your windows or mac computer and yes, even if that were not an issue, it would still intimidate the average match director, no question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziebart Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Any updates on sunlight readability? Las Vegas sun is unforgiving, and heat can kill some of the other devices we have tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantg Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 We have been using Kindles for about two years. We host a State level match once a year and use the kindles for our monthly matches as well. We have experienced some issues that I can share. 1) heat- they heat up and quit working when the OA temp is above 85 or so. To mitigate that we have the squads keep them out of direct sunshine and close the cover between stages. It is amazing how doing these two steps makes the devices run better and longer. 2) WIFI- after we do our initial sync and before we distribute the devices to the stages/squads we turn on "airplane" mode. This saves the batteries and allows them to work for a full day. We have 10 devices and I think we have a couple that are starting to have battery life issues, due to poor management techniques early in their lives. 3) Sunlight- This is the bane of our existence. In bright, direct sunshine they can be hard to read. Especially with polarized glasses on. It seems that some eyes are better than others but again, creating a shadow with your body seems to be enough to allow them to be used. We have borrowed another clubs Nook NST and they worked great, but still have occasional issues. Overall, I would say that a little education goes a long ways towards making people comfortable using anything that is new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 We have been using Kindles for about two years. We host a State level match once a year and use the kindles for our monthly matches as well. We have experienced some issues that I can share. 1) heat- they heat up and quit working when the OA temp is above 85 or so. To mitigate that we have the squads keep them out of direct sunshine and close the cover between stages. It is amazing how doing these two steps makes the devices run better and longer. 2) WIFI- after we do our initial sync and before we distribute the devices to the stages/squads we turn on "airplane" mode. This saves the batteries and allows them to work for a full day. We have 10 devices and I think we have a couple that are starting to have battery life issues, due to poor management techniques early in their lives. 3) Sunlight- This is the bane of our existence. In bright, direct sunshine they can be hard to read. Especially with polarized glasses on. It seems that some eyes are better than others but again, creating a shadow with your body seems to be enough to allow them to be used. We have borrowed another clubs Nook NST and they worked great, but still have occasional issues. Overall, I would say that a little education goes a long ways towards making people comfortable using anything that is new. You did not mention rain. Those things can go crazy as drops hit the screen and are interpreted as finger pushes. Last weekend we were able to put the score keeper under a shelter and voice relay the scores, works ok as long as your club has a shelter at each bay. If there is a better option, it would be good to know about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdphotoguy Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Our club just bought 6 Fire tablets that Amazon had on sale for $34ish per. Could only order two per person, so three of us ordered them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucker Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 We switched from nooks to fires this year. Only used them for one shoot so far. Everyone seemed to like them, but we are going to put some anti glare screens on them. Glad to hear about airplane mode didn't think about that. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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