Kindle Fire Update: Apps, PDANet and Tethering almost Complete

The Kindle Fire has me wrap around its little finger. I have been fully enjoying this little gadget and all that it has done to streamline my day to day life. Surfing for, setting up and testing apps has been much of what I have done in these last weeks.

What I have found is this:

Right now I am able to watch Netflix anywhere there is wireless connectivity. Watching all the documentaries, catching up with what is going on has been fabulous.  At the office I keep my Fire tucked in the corner and listen to various programs will I work.  We are able to do the same on IPad with Xfinity, which I will install before the weekend is out, thanks to PCMag.. more on that later.

 

I use Quick Office Pro to read and work with files that are stored on my Fire of virtually with  Google Docs, Dropbox or other online file storage systems.  This tool has come in handy, surprisingly, with my studies.  I am able to take excellent notes using both Excel and Word, they are live and editable from any device.

Evernote is the best, I love taking a photo on my phone and saving to Evernote making it available everywhere I have Evernote installed.  As long as you are connected you are able to sync your devices to the most recent files stored in Evernote.   I will also install the Dropbox app on my Fire via the PCMag instructions below, DropBox app for Fire is not available in Amazon as of this post.

 

 

Finding apps is a breeze, many of the apps on PcWorlds Top 14 Kindle Fire Apps are also on my Fire as we speak.

I have found reading to be excellent on this device with no issues outside or indoors as well. The scalable text and various background adjustments make it easy to adjust to your lighting situation.

One issue that has always been on the forefront of my thinking is what to do when not within wireless access, how will I feel then. How when I feel when I am not able to see my virtual files, or shop on Amazon, search terms on Google or just check in with friends? My phone, of course, has the ability to connect almost always, I want to tether to my phone; or turn my phone into a hotspot..  Tethering is allowed with my phone system and I currently use PDAnet between laptop and phone..

Everyday I run a search for PDAnet and the Kindle Fire without success, I knew that others were working on the very same issue and waited eagerly for news..  I am sorry to report that I haven’t completely worked out the equation, but feel I just stepped a wee bit closer, here’s how:

PCmagazine ran a piece back in November 2011 explaining “How to run almost any app on the Kindle Fire.”  I didn’t want to take this route initially, I waited for an alternate means. We are almost a month later and I am still not tethering the Fire to my phone, so I revisited the article. What I found was that it is very easy to follow the steps in the article to pick the PDAnet app off my phone and deposit it on my Fire to tether, which I have done.

As of this morning I now see the Fire  my computer to view the Fire’s drive.  Opening a webpage still gives and error so I am off to see about repointing the browser to an alternate source for data access and I think I am good to go with this project.  If any of my readers have or know of anyone else tethering to their Fire I would love to hear from you..