Amazon Kindle Fire Pro Reviews

Amazon has upped its game with the Kindle Fire. The device is the most focused tablet on the market. Those who purchase it will know exactly what they are getting into and the tutorials and simple interface mean that almost anyone will understand how to use and enjoy the Fire. We’re not sure if Google is entirely happy that Amazon has shunned the Android Market in favor of its own, but Android is an open-source operating system, so the online retailer can do what it pleases. At a scant $200, the Kindle Fire is a far better user experience than almost any tablet outside of the iPad, and it’s definitely more focused than Apple’s tablet as well. The Kindle Fire is a smaller device and doesn’t seek to completely supplant every other tablet, but it does set the bar much higher. Google and its partners need to find a better way to explain to users exactly what their tablets are good for, because Amazon is going to sell millions of Kindle Fires doing precisely that. When you buy a Kindle Fire, you’re buying into Amazon’s ecosystem, which is quickly becoming the best and most flexible in the industry.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize the obvious with this comparison, even more when one device is sporting newer and better hardware and software to make its $200 price point more valuable than its rival. Of course, we still have to give the Amazon Kindle Fire for popularizing the budget tablet category, but now that the Google Nexus 7 is finally up for grabs, it redefines what we expect out of the category nowadays. In addition, the experience is totally one-sided as well, as the Nexus 7 has the full fidelity of having access to a wealth of tablet-optimized apps – while enhancing the core experience. Indeed, you can still obtain good experience on the Kindle Fire (especially if you hack it to add the Play Store), but you better invest your hard-earned money into the Nexus 7 and settle with the latest and greatest right now.

The Amazon Kindle Fire is a 7" Android tablet and one might think it's in the same league as some of Samsung's Galaxy Tabs, the HTC Flyer, the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Acer Iconia tabs, the Toshiba Thrive, you name it. The list goes on but most of these go nowhere near, we're afraid, the record-breaking sales of the Fire. Now, which was the one again with the poor specs? Tip: the one that costs $199. It should be clear by now that the Kindle Fire isn't the cheap Android tablet some people may've been waiting for. Oh well, it is cheap. Not so sure about Android and tablet. It's more like the Kindle for music and video that loyal Kindle and Amazon users may not have been waiting for but just couldn't say no to. The Kindle Fire keeps it simple. It's a multimedia player, which feeds mostly on paid content from Amazon's catalog. They've thrown in email and a web browser (not nearly as revolutionary as they said it would be, but not bad either). There's nothing else to distract users from its main purpose - buying content that's a click away.

If you're thinking about getting the Fire, you have to decide not just whether you want a tablet, but what kind of tablet you want. This isn't an iPad-killer. It has the potential to do lots of things, but there are many things I have yet to see it do, and I wonder if it will get there given the lean software support. It's my impression that Amazon believes that the Fire will be so popular that developers will choose to work on its platform rather than on Google's main trunk of Android, but that's just a theory right now. Still, there's no question that the Fire is a really terrific tablet for its price. The amount of content you have access to — and the ease of getting to that content — is notable to say the least. The device is decently designed, and the software — while lacking some polish — is still excellent compared to pretty much anything in this range (and that includes the Nook Color). It's a well thought out tablet that can only get better as the company refines the software. It's not perfect, but it's a great start, and at $200, that may be all Amazon needs this holiday shopping season.

The Kindle Fire is a cute toy. But beyond that, it’s also a highly functioning device that operates like a cross-breed of eReader and tablet, which may or may not work for you depending on what you’re wanting to get out of the experience. It's main competition comes from Barnes & Noble and its NOOK Tablet, but the Fire is definitely not as functional as the Apple iPad 2 and other Android tablets. Where the Fire really excels is in its affiliation with Amazon and the easy access that you have to thousands of books, magazines, movies, albums, and apps. Where it falls short is regarding the screen's hit-and-miss touch sensitivity and the glaring omission of a built-in camera, which is standard on other tablets and which might give cause for many perfectionists to hold off for the eventual release of Kindle Fire 2.0.

Those wanting a complete Android experience with iOS-like performance out of the box are going to get neither with the Kindle Fire. Let’s face it; the Amazon tablet has less games, less apps, less features, less screen real estate, less customization and less hardware than the competition. Instead, what you’ll be getting is a solidly built, no frills device catered to the Amazon user. With this in mind, the Fire is a nexus to Amazon services. If for whatever reason you do not plan on using any Amazon-related features and have no interest in doing so in the future, then much of the Fire’s appeal would be gone.

There is a natural tendency to compare all tablets to the popular, ground-breaking iPad, but the Amazon Kindle Fire really can’t be compared to the iPad. It is an entirely different, less expensive category of tablet. At less than one half of the price of the cheapest iPad, this should not be surprising. The Fire performs all the basic tablet functions quite well. You can easily use it to send and receive email, surf the Web, listen to music, read digital books and magazines, and play games. While the app selection is not as large as that of the iTunes store or the Android marketplace, there are good selections of games, entertainment, social networking, and productivity apps including must-have apps like Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, Angry Birds, and more. For the price, the solidity of the hardware and the screen quality of the Fire are exceptional. Although the Fire is lacking some of the hardware options like cameras that are found in higher-end tablets, we found this to be acceptable because of its price. There are, however, two hardware limitations that we felt were weak points for even a basic tablet. We felt that Amazon should have included a microphone and a hardware volume control. We certainly hope that they will be included in future versions.

The Kindle Fire has arrived as a latecomer to the tablet arena, offered by the biggest name in online retail. Amazon is undoubtedly targeting customers who are also considering the iPad and other high-end tablets, however the Fire is clearly attempting to compete through price rather than features. For $200, we feel the device is a bargain in the same way that the discounted PlayBook is a good deal—bringing most of the essential tablet features at less than half the cost of its competitors. The Fire, as an e-reader, is unlikely to woo most Kindle owners who are already content with the E Ink models, which offer a superior reading experience for most books. The device does make sense as a first tablet, with a price tag that serves as a closer fit for many holiday gift budgets.

The Kindle Fire is a device that does exactly what Amazon wanted it to: it is affordable and provides an easy way to consume more content from Amazon. This is definitely not a “killer” for larger and faster tablets, but at the very basic level, it is a good multimedia player with a store access, and it is basically the best mobile interface to Amazon.com Some say that the Kindle Fire is not a tablet. I would disagree with that – it’s actually better that most of the 7” Android tablets that I reviewed in early 2011, at least in terms of user experience – and even if it is more limited in scope. In short, the Kindle Fire can be a great tool if you understand and accept its limitations, which are not negligible (size, apps, performance). Now the question is… should you spent $50 more and get the new Nook? I’m still waiting for my Nook tablet to arrive, but here are the first impressions from the Nook launch in NYC.

The Kindle Fire is a nice-looking tablet, and, at 200 bucks, Amazon is going to sell a shedload of them. Its flaws are well balanced by the low price, and it's a logical upgrade if you're already a Kindle owner and you want to buy videos, music and apps from Amazon, not just books. The problems I had getting content don't affect US buyers and will disappear for the rest of us when Amazon activates international sales. If it continues to make side-loading content a faff, that too will change when third-party video players and picture viewers are available. And let's not forget the possibility of custom firmware from the likes of the CyanogenMod team, converting the Amazon-centric Kindle into a more capable device running generic Android. For now, then, the Fire makes for a so-so Android tablet, but succeeds as an cheap vendor-tied content access device, the tablet equivalent of a Sky HD box. If you're looking for an iPad killer, look elsewhere, at least until the hackers have got to work.

Ultimately, this is a pretty tight race between the two devices. Spec-wise, the Nook Tablet has the Kindle Fire beat, but between Amazon's pricing and suite of service, the Kindle comes out ahead on this one, if only just barely.

The Kindle Fire is quite an achievement at $200. It's a perfectly usable tablet that feels good in the hand and has a respectably good looking display up front. Yes, power users will find themselves a little frustrated with what they can and can't do on the thing without access to the Android Market but, in these carefree days of cloud-based apps ruling the world, increasingly all you need is a good browser. That the Fire has.

Leading up to the announcement, I expected that Amazon would leverage its media offerings to make a tablet that could compete with Apple on content. Beyond that I had no idea what would be in store. It comes as little suprise though that Amazon saw fit to completely obfuscate the Android platform beneath a UI that steers the argument decidedly in favor of the tablet as media consumptive device. Based on these first looks, the UI is elegant and friendly, and the hardware is sufficient enough to provide a good media experience. And at $199, no other tablet offers as compelling a combination of services, content and value. We can't wait to get our hands on the Kindle Fire and discover whether Amazon has set the tablet market ablaze, or simply joined the other kindling.

Overall, the Fire strikes me as a tablet for people who don’t like tablets. It’s for the person who would never think of connecting an external keyboard. It’s for the person who doesn’t see the point of holding up a screen and swiping around to navigate the web when they can plop down in front of a PC. It’s for the person who wouldn’t touch Android gaming with a ten-foot pole. For this user, most of the Fire’s downsides are irrelevant, and it all comes down to watching movies, listening to music and reading books. My only question is - how many consumers fit this niche? I guess we’ll find out.

The Amazon Kindle Fire is a good, but not great device for reading books, watching movies, playing games, and surfing the web. But for $200, you’d be hard pressed to find a better device. The Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet for just $50 more, and that tablet is easier to hold, feels faster, and offers higher-quality Netflix video streaming. But Barnes & Noble doesn’t have its own music or video stores, and the NOOK app store offers just about 5 percent as many apps as Amazon’s Appstore.

Separated by a mere $50, one can spend a lot of time juggling why one is better than the other, but after spending some time with the two, we think that the Amazon Kindle Fire simply offers the most bang for the buck – and even better, it’s the cheaper of the two! Yes, the Nook Tablet has a better display, expandable storage and more RAM, but when it comes down to actually using the device, there’s nothing too major that makes it the better performer. Actually, it’s Amazon’s extensive ecosystem surrounding multimedia content and third party apps that wins us over above all things – not only does it deepen the tablet’s functionality, but it will seemingly appease those who are already heavily invested in Amazon’s services. We also expect the Kindle Fire to sell better, and to receivе better support from 3rd party developers. On the other hand, the Nook is better in terms of hardware and its biggest drawback – the apps ecosystem - is rather easily solved, once you port the Amazon Appstore to it.

The Kindle Fire isn't an iPad killer, but it is a killer deal. At $199, it's really hard to beat the package Amazon has put together. Assuming you're willing to carry a smaller 7-inch device, it combines an easy-to-use interface and one-tap access to loads of content in a well-built design. While you do need to sacrifice some features, such as dedicated volume controls and a camera, the Fire has single-handedly made pretty much every other tablet under $400 irrelevant. And that brings us to the only other bonafide challenger in this price range: the Nook Tablet. That $249 tablet promises a better display and offers more RAM and storage, but also costs $50 more and doesn't have a built-in music or video store. Yes, the Fire can be slow to respond at times--and the Silk browser will take time to live up to its potential--but overall we highly recommend this slate for shoppers on a budget.

The Amazon Kindle Fire represents astonishingly good value for money; perhaps the best gadget bargain of this era. The company has unquestionably succeeded in doing what it set out to; to produce a brilliant media consumption device that doesn't break the bank. It's a solid tablet perfectly tailored to its aim of pushing you to buy digital content from Amazon. It isn't an all-singing, all-dancing device that ticks all the boxes, neither does it attempt to be. It's is an enjoyable device to use and defies its price point in almost all areas. However, because of the limitations we've mentioned above, this can't be considered an iPad Killer. The iPad does absolutely everything better and so it should at double the price. This, however, is an entirely different proposition to any other tablet on the market and can't be judged on the same merits. People who want an iPad will still buy one. However, due to the sheer number of Fires that will sell, it will be the first device that can truly compete in terms of popularity and uptake. Rather than hurting Apple, it is more likely to damage the other Android tablet-makers seeking £400 of your hard-earned for their latest offering. It was already difficult for Motorola, LG and and co to justify their prices, now it's nigh-on impossible. They will have to cut their own prices and develop ways to combat Amazon's content-buying platform. This means more choice and better deals for everyone. The Amazon Kindle Fire is here and the tablet landscape can never be the same again. Now all we need is for Amazon to confirm a UK launch date and price and all this excitement will finally be actionable.

In a nutshell, if you currently own an iPad or Android tablet, you’re not missing anything. However, if you are on the market, looking for a tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire has something to offer, thanks to its killer pricing. When compared to the better 7-inch tablets, it is rather limited – the Amazon Appstore is not as rich as the Android Market (or Apple's iOS App Store), but still has lots to offer. The interface is not as polished and misses the Google Services (like Gmail, YouTube, etc) but hopefully additional software will compensate for this. The Kindle Fire is, however, definitely affordable, with a price tag that puts it in a class without rivals , except the Barnes & Noble Tablet or promotional sales. And you still get decent screen, hardware, internet browsing and multimedia experience and so on and so on.

My out of the box experience with the Kindle Fire was not as good as I had expected. Sure, the very initial setup was a breeze, since it logged in my Amazon account automatically (which it won't do with devices bought at retail stores or ordered from Amazon as gifts), but the user interface somewhat got in my way, and the touchscreen didn't always seem to respond well in my first hour of use. Having to hunt down the missing hardware button functionality for home and volume also took some getting used to. But after a day or so of using it, I'm pretty much settled in. I initially thought I would end up returning the Kindle Fire, but now I think I'm going to keep it. I like its media consumption abilities, and I like the compact form factor. It's certainly no Apple iPad 2, but since it costs less than half as much, it doesn't have to be in order to be a huge success. And I do expect it to be a huge success. It's the first Android tablet to really matter from a general consumer's standpoint, and it's far simpler to use than Google's Android Honeycomb powered tablets. That's good enough for me.

The Amazon Kindle Fire makes trade-offs to achieve a $200 price. It's easy to dismiss some of the compromises and weaknesses of the Kindle Fire as the sacrifices necessary to achieve a price point, but the reality is that the Fire may not meet your expectations if you're looking for an Apple iPad 2-like tablet. For those people who go in knowing what they're getting, and who want an inexpensive tablet that capably—though not spectacularly—handles their Amazon books, music, and video, the Kindle Fire's limitations may be acceptable. However, the Fire falls far short of providing a full and satisfying tablet experience.

The first easy-to-use, affordable small-screen tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire is revolutionary.

The Kindle Fire. It seems to be packed with some quality goodies for such a low price compared to the Nook Tablet. It comes with a free month of its Prime membership service, which might be just enough time to really grab enough attention to keep of an entire year. But for those looking for a cheap, but good tablet, the Kindle Fire is definitely the way to go.

Though it lacks the tech specs found on more-expensive Apple and Android tablets, the $199 Kindle Fire is an outstanding entertainment value that prizes simplicity over techno-wizardry.

In many ways, the Amazon Kindle Fire isn't trying to beat the iPad or the Android-tablet masses at their own game. The Kindle Fire is doing its own thing, and going after a totally different audience.