A Review Of The Kindle Fire   by Russell Strider

in Computers / Hardware    (submitted 2012-01-27)

It seems as if most electronic companies are putting out a tablet to compete in the burgeoning tablet market and Amazon is no different. The Kindle Fire is an updated version of the Kindle which was primarily used to read ebooks. The new, updated Kindle comes in color and has more features in comparison with the older model.

Needless to say, when consumers consider tablets, the first thing that comes to mind is the iPad. Arguably the Kindle Fire is being perceived as the first real competitor to this electronic behemoth. However, in terms of the specifications, they could not be more different. The first thing that is obvious is the price difference. The Fire is typically priced at $199 through authorized retailers, whereas the iPad can easily range between $400 - $700. The only real similarity is that they are tablets and you have the ability to download apps.

Many consumers purchase this tablet so that they can download ebooks from Amazon's Kindle store. That was the original intent of the first Kindle. This is no exception. However, in an effort to make this device more marketable and competitive with all the new touch-screen, color devices that are on the market, Amazon decided to upgrade it so it can be more interactive and entertaining. In terms of the size, it is slightly bigger than the older model. It is a 7 inch tablet with a color screen that can link seamlessly with many items in Amazon's digital store such as music, video, magazines and of course books.

In addition to it being a user friendly integration into Amazon's estore, it also offers superb Web browsing. In addition to its web capabilities, there is also an Android app store that carries some of the most wanted apps such as Hulu, Pandora, and even Netflix. This is its draw with consumers. The screen size is much smaller than the iPad, but much larger than the iPod Touch. So it is ideal for carrying around in a purse or briefcase.

Although the Kindle Fire has so many added features, a few of the premium features that some people desire are not available. For example, there is no camera capability on the Fire. This may not bother some because most people have a camera on their phones, however, video chatting is definitely not an option. It also does not have a microphone, is not 3G wireless, no GPS feature, and it is without location services. So if your device is lost or stolen, there is no way it can be tracked. Another disadvantage of the Fire is its storage. It only has 8 GB of storage, however you can purchase additional memory from Amazon. In addition you have to be an Amazon Prime member, which currently is $79 annually, in order to take advantage of some of the more advanced features.

All in all, the Kindle Fire would not be considered a highly sophisticated piece of technology. It is great if you want to do things like listen to music, stream videos, and of course download and read books. It is definitely a device for entertainment, and even within that scope it is limited. The price is very competitive when compared with other tablets that are on the market.

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Are you trying to compare Kindle Fire and iPad? Be sure to visit Tech-vs-Tech for a Kindle Fire iPad comparison.