Amazon Kindle Fire eBook Reader Review
Product Specifications
Positive Aspects
Negative Aspects
Customers Feedback
Should You Buy?
For many months, existing customers of Amazon Kindles speculated on whether Amazon would enter
the tablet computer market. In November 2011, they finally have announced and introduced the all new Amazon Kindle
Fire. The introductory price is cheaper than many of us had imagined and it comes packed full of wonderful
features. The question now is, does the Kindle Fire live up to all the hype? Is it superior enough to take some of
the Nook Color's market share? By the way, Barnes & Noble will be introducing a new Nook Tablet in December
2011 to make sure they do not lose out to its competitors.
Product Specifications Of The Amazon Kindle
Fire
Average Price: $199
Release Year: 2011
Battery Life: 8 hours reading
Screen Size: 7 inch
Screen Type: color touchscreen
Weight: 14.6 oz
Storage Size: 8GB (plus cloud storage)
Internet: Wi-Fi
Main eBook Format: AZW (Kindle)
Positive Aspects Of The Amazon Kindle
Fire
Price
One of the main selling points of the Amazon Kindle Fire is that it's a tablet computer at a fraction of the price.
At only $199, it's cheaper than just about any tablet you can buy, yet its functions don't put it into the budget
category. In other words, although you pay a rock bottom price, you get more than what you'd expect for that
price.
Integrates With Amazon Services
Amazon has a number of online
streaming services in the form of an Amazon Prime membership that costs just $79 per year. For that small fee,
users will have access to thousands of movies and TV shows to stream directly to their device. An even bigger
number (100,000) are available to buy or rent for an extra fee. Not to mention digital music.
Cloud Storage
You'd think that downloading all these movies, TV shows and MP3s would take a huge amount of storage space, but
this isn't an issue with the Amazon Kindle Fire. Amazon uses their cloud storage solution to host your digital
media collection so that you simply don't need a huge hard drive size on the device.
New Amazon Silk Browser
The new Amazon Silk Browser is not to be
compared to anything you've seen before on the Kindle. After all, this is Amazon's own tablet, and as such they've
created a whole new browsing experience. This browser means you can surf the 'net over a Wi-Fi connection, and view
Flash sites and videos (something that the iPad won't let you do).
That's not the main news about Amazon Silk, however. The best thing about the browser is the
fact that it utilizes Amazon's Cloud services to help pages load faster than they possibly could have otherwise.
What this means is that certain elements are stored by Amazon to help send them to your device as quickly as
possible.
Whispersync
All Amazon's Kindles make use of a service called Whispersync. This keeps your library in sync between various
devices, and makes sure you always start reading where you left off, even if you switch from your Kindle to your PC
in the meantime. The best thing about Whispersync on the Amazon Kindle Fire is that it doesn't just work with books
- it now works with video streaming. Start streaming a video on the Kindle Fire, and pick up where you left off on
your PC or TV!
Dual Core Processor
Like all the best tablet computers out there at
the moment, the Amazon Kindle Fire uses a dual core processor. This means that it's fast to move from program to
program and applications run well on the device.
Design
Amazon has kept things simple with the Kindle Fire. The design means it's smaller than many full-blown tablets, in
the spirit of the original Kindle. It's lightweight so it's easy to hold while reading books, and its simplicity
will appeal to many users. True, it isn't as light as a standalone eBook reader, though you can't really expect it
to be, and it is light in the world of tablet computers.
Apps
The main thing that differentiates the Amazon Kindle Fire from other eReaders is the fact that it's based on
Android and has access to a number of different apps through the Amazon App Store. Like the Nook Color, however,
the app store isn't the official Android version and carries far fewer options, though still enough to keep people
entertained given the price of the device.
Negative Aspects Of The Amazon Kindle
Fire
Only 8GB Memory
8GB memory is not a lot for a tablet computer, though it does match up to the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. That
said, the Amazon Kindle Fire isn't an ordinary device: it'll store your files on the cloud to help prevent the need
for further storage. This is important considering there's no memory card expansion slot included.
Battery Life
Just like the Nook Color, the Amazon Kindle Fire only
has 8 hours battery life. Although not much for an eReader, this is standard in the world of tablet computers.
Should You Buy The Amazon Kindle
Fire?
In terms of direct competition, the main rival to the Kindle Fire will be Barnes & Noble
soon to be introduced Nook Tablet. Both devices look great with colors, are lightweight and benefit from a wide
choice of downloadable apps. Amazon Kindle Fire has the edge in terms of pricing, affordability and its
comprehensive online store. This device is really an excellent alternative for those who want a tablet computer
without the huge price tag. You can buy Kindle Fire from Amazon.com.
Read more eBook Reader Reviews.
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