I have the original Fire that I was mostly happy for reading, checking email. But web surfing was only acceptable after 18 months. Some of the sites are very slow to load. I was on the fence between Fire HD 7 and Galaxy Tab 2 7 with the choice went to Fire HD. The main reason for me was HDMI although I would also like micro SD support.Web surfing is better but still no comparison to my desktop.The screen is significantly better than the original Fire. Colors are more accurate and the dynamic range is much much larger. Pictures are now more natural looking with a gradual transition from dark to bright, much closer to my calibrated monitor.I am not bothered by the ads, actually not sure where the ads are. No access to Google play is not a big deal for me. I only have a few apps loaded and that's all I need.Finally, I decided to stay with 7" size. I just can't see to need to use a 10" tablet. 7" is just about right for carrying around and big enough to properly display everything I need. If I need larger display, I have multiple monitors and TVs to do that.Edit: May 12 2013 updateThe rating was changed from 4 stars to now 5 stars because of the two following findings1. I found a way to install Chrome on Fire HD. Chrome is much faster than Silk. It can take advantage of the larger bandwidth. So the original comment on web surfing is no longer applicable.2. I was also able to install DropBox now after a little bit of searching. 

Question: What is the status of the screen?
Answer: The screen is significantly better than the original Fire