Kindle Fire: Yes or No?

Well with the holiday season just about here I see all the store ads online and in the papers pushing the big deals etc. And one of the biggest sellers this year is going to be the Amazon Kindle Fire. I've been longing for an Apple iPad since version 1 came out but could never justify paying that price, there was something always more important that came first. And with all the Black Friday sales they really want you buying electronics.

But I'm wondering with a super-affordable price tag of only $199 if the Kindle Fire is a good substitute? I know it obviously doesn't have all the features and the screen is smaller but can I make those concessions to have an affordable tablet of my own? Still not sure.

I'll probably keep thinking about it for sometime before I jump in and get one. Hopefully by that time some friends with have one I can check out and there will be more info online on how to use it and tweak the specialized Android OS that Amazon is using in it.