Amazon Kindle Fire
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Amazon finally unveiled their answer to the Ipad craze, officially demonstrating their new tablet, called the Amazon Kindle Fire. Here are our first impressions and a proper review of the device. Is it a real Ipad killer?
First of all the answer is: No. Even though the the price is way below what the Ipad currently costs, the type of functionality the Kindle Fire delivers is not as sophisticated as the the Ipad. It’s a 7-inch screen with a highly modified Android system running beneath it, up to the point where you will not even notice the typical Android characteristics. The good news is that the Kindle Fire is highly integrated with everything you have ever used Amazon for, so playing movies, songs and reading books on it is as easy as with every Kindle.
Inside the Kindle Fire, a Texas Instruments dual core processor powers the Android 2.3 OS, though there’s almost no evidence that it’s in any way related to any other Android device.
Its home screen looks like a bookshelf, with access to recently accessed content and Apps (books, movies and music) and another shelf to pin favorites or frequently used items. At the top of the screen of the Kindle Fire is a search and menu access to Newsstand (for magazines), books, music, movies, apps and docs.
The Kindle Fire, which from this date onwards, will arrive pre-registered and filled with access to all of your Amazon content, much of which may reside in the cloud. Unlike Apple’s iCloud service, there is no limit to the amount of content Amazon will store for you or how long they will store if for you. Perhaps this is because you’re simply accessing your content from Amazon’s vast cloud-library of ebooks, movies, TV shows and music. It’s not as if the cloud needs one copy of each piece of content per user.
The Fire’s 7-inch screen supports 16 million colors and from our vantage point, the screen looked great and responsive. It supports multi-touch, but only up to two fingers. Battery life is up to eight hours.
There is no camera or microphone, so chat or video conferences are not possible.
The thing that is most obvious from the start of using the Kindle Fire is the fact that everything is just a click away. The reason for this is the excellent integration of Amazon one-click payment and the even better integration of Amazon Prime, which comes as a 30 day trial to all newly purchases Kindle Fire devices. Amazon Prime allows users unlimited Video and Audio consumption, and we promise you you will be hooked.
The Kindle Fire however is everything we expected, a highly competitive media consumption device. And if you are a regular Amazon user, this might be just the thing for you! If you are looking for a browsing device or an internet tablet, we think the Ipad might just be a bit ahead. Overall, the Kindle Fire however will appeal to many more users than the Ipad, and the price is absolutely alright for what the Kindle Fire delivers.
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Reviews (9)
Kathleen
September 28th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
I played with it today and this thing is not even close to simply being an Ipad killer: It is way better!
The touchscreen is awesome, the size is simply perfect and I have to say the User Interfaces Amazon comes up with even dwarf the ones from Apple. Everything is somehow clear, it very hard to explain…
Peter Nordstrom
September 28th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
I simply love this, finally something in 7-inch that comes with all the things I love to do. Amazon Prime is the absolute bomb, I will never ever want to live without it. And the fact that this device is optimized for Prime makes it the perfect Android for me! Thanks Amazon!
Anni Haul
September 28th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Two words: Love it! This is probably the best thing Amazon has ever done, and I’m sure this thing will outsell the Ipad in the longrun!
Bill Housten
September 28th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Love how Amazon Price is integrated in this, as I’m currently using it and on my normal Kindle there is not much I can use it for. So, to be able to take full advantage of it this thing will be worth its weight in Gold! Go Kindle Fire!
Herbert
October 11th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
The coolest thing since sliced bread! I tried it out yesterday and I have to say this is almost as good as the Ipad when it comes to browing, and for reading it is pretty much the same as the Kindle! Winning combination!
Peter M.
October 11th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Simply awesome! Really cool that Amazon is getting into the game and shows apple how to do it, the reader capabilities are simply 100% better than the Ipad!
Claudia M...
October 11th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
I preordered immidiatly, I can already promise this will be sold out before everybody decides to have it for christmas!
Frans
November 16th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
I bought one for my wife. I am pretty amazed! It is simple to use and pretty snappy, much more snappy than I would have imagined for $200. It is extremely usable, the design is simple but effective, and the value for money is absolutely impressive!
Sara
November 29th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Awesome device, even better than the iPad in my opinion. What I liked most about it is the fact that even though it runs on android, everything is as easy as it is on the Kindle, it really is that simple. Everything is just a click away, and you never feel lost!
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