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| Product: | Amazon Kindle Fire 7″ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Status: | Released – 15th Nov 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Where: | Buy Now for just $199 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Amazon Kindle Fire was launched in November 2011 as a cheaper alternative tablet to the every-popular Apple IPad. At $199 the Kindle is ridiculously affordable but if you buy the Kindle Fire based on price alone then will you be left disappointed? Let’s take an in-depth look at how the Kindle Fire performs in all key areas.
Size & Weight 
If, like me, you plan on carrying your tablet with you throughout the day then size and weight are critically important. At 14.6 ounces in weight and 7.5 x 4.7″ x 0.45 (inches) in size the Kindle Fire is comfortable to hold and is convenient for carrying in a standard shoulder bag or large jacket pocket (as convenient as a paperback book).The Fire feels good to hold with rounded edges and corners and a “rubbery” exterior on the back to ensure it is convenient to hold and does not slip of your hands easily.
Battery Life
With tablets there is always as trade-off between battery life and size & weight as to increase the battery life significantly the thickness and weight of the tablet would have to increase also. The Fire promises “up to up to 8 hours of continuous reading time or 7.5 hours of video playback with no wireless connection”. With the wireless turned on battery life will vary depending on browsing and content being downloaded. To ensure maximum battery life of my Fire I turn off Wi-Fi when I don’t need the Internet and I have setup the automatic lock function to automatically put the Fire to sleep following inactivity. With these in place I generally get two days common usage out of my Fire and I only have to charge it every second night which I am particularly pleased about.
Performance 
Performance wise the Kindle Fire offers a 1 GHZ dual-core processor which boosts the tablet’s multitasking power, enabling users to read an ebook and download from the web simultaneously without one task slowing down the other. Initial feedback following the Fire’s release included many criticisms of sluggish and slow performance but I am happy to report that the majority of issues have been speedily resolved by Amazon in the 6.2.1 Update Release which “enhances fluidity and performance, improves touch navigation responsiveness, gives you the option to choose which items display on the carousel, and adds the ability to add a password lock on Wi-Fi access”. All Kindle Fire Updates are automatically delivered to your Kindle Fire.
Screen Display
The Kindle Fire comes with a 7” vibrant color touchscreen and 16 million colors in high resolution which ensures a very good resolution for reading ebooks, using apps and games and watching movies,or indeed sharing your screen with a partner to watch movies together. The tablet also comes equipped with a background light so reading on an aeroplane or indeed in the dark can be achieved with comfort.
Software
This is what you will love about The Fire: You can freely move music and video on and off – not like iTunes with its Apple only restrictions. With tablets there is always as trade-off between battery life and size & weight as to increase the battery life significantly the thickness and weight of the tablet would have to increase also. The Fire promises “up to up to 8 hours of continuous reading time or 7.5 hours of video playback with no wireless connection”. With the wireless turned on battery life will vary depending on browsing and content being downloaded. To ensure maximum battery life of my Fire I turn off Wi-Fi when I don’t need the Internet and I have setup the automatic lock function to automatically put the Fire to sleep following inactivity. With these in place I generally get two days common usage out of my Fire and I only have to charge it every second night which I am particularly pleased about.
Internet / Browser
With tablets there is always as trade-off between battery life and size & weight as to increase the battery life significantly the thickness and weight of the tablet would have to increase also. The Fire promises “up to up to 8 hours of continuous reading time or 7.5 hours of video playback with no wireless connection”. With the wireless turned on battery life will vary depending on browsing and content being downloaded. To ensure maximum battery life of my Fire I turn off Wi-Fi when I don’t need the Internet and I have setup the automatic lock function to automatically put the Fire to sleep following inactivity. With these in place I generally get two days common usage out of my Fire and I only have to charge it every second night which I am particularly pleased about.
Durability
Amazon claim the Kindle Fire is “chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, making it extra durable and resistant to accidental bumps and scrapes”. A big claim to make indeed but can it live up its claims? In a word, YES! The Fire display is made of Gorilla Glass which is pretty close to indestructible and the best scratch resistant piece of technology I have owned or used. Coupled with the “rubbery” back exterior this makes the Kindle Fire a very durable piece of technology.
Storage Cloud
With tablets there is always as trade-off between battery life and size & weight as to increase the battery life significantly the thickness and weight of the tablet would have to increase also. The Fire promises “up to up to 8 hours of continuous reading time or 7.5 hours of video playback with no wireless connection”. With the wireless turned on battery life will vary depending on browsing and content being downloaded. To ensure maximum battery life of my Fire I turn off Wi-Fi when I don’t need the Internet and I have setup the automatic lock function to automatically put the Fire to sleep following inactivity. With these in place I generally get two days common usage out of my Fire and I only have to charge it every second night which I am particularly pleased about.
Apps & Games
Slower than we would have liked but still not half bad with a decent WIFI connection. With tablets there is always as trade-off between battery life and size & weight as to increase the battery life significantly the thickness and weight of the tablet would have to increase also. The Fire promises “up to up to 8 hours of continuous reading time or 7.5 hours of video playback with no wireless connection”. With the wireless turned on battery life will vary depending on browsing and content being downloaded. To ensure maximum battery life of my Fire I turn off Wi-Fi when I don’t need the Internet and I have setup the automatic lock function to automatically put the Fire to sleep following inactivity. With these in place I generally get two days common usage out of my Fire and I only have to charge it every second night which I am particularly pleased about.
What’s the Downside?
At a price of $199 it is unrealistic to expect a flawless tablet or a tablet that can match up to the vastly more expensive Apple IPad. However, allowing for this I have a couple of issues with the Kindle Fire:
- The storage limit of 6 GB is very limited for an entertainment device. While I can understand Amazon’s reasoning for this a Micro SD card slot could have been included to give users the option of adding additional memory.
- The screen sometimes responds to accidental touches and yet sometimes is unresponsive to intended touches. However, this issue has been reduced in the first software update released.
- The Kindle Fire does not come with a camera or microphone – manageable without but slightly annoying none-the-less.
The Bottom Line
The Amazon Kindle Fire represents a good piece of technology available at a great price. While the Kindle Fire does not stand up in all areas to the Apple IPad (nor should it at $300 cheaper), and criticisms of the Fire can be found I firmly believe that for the money you are spending your will get a very good piece of technology that you will get plenty of value for and will enjoy using. In short, the Kindle Fire is a good entertainment device available at a truly unbelievable price.
What Kindle Fire Owners have to Say
For the main part the Kindle Fire has received extremely positive reviews from consumers online with it’s crowning glory being the price tag of just $199 – of the 10,000+ reviews on Amazon, over 50% have given the Kindle Fire the max 5 Stars. Here are some of the comments to date:
- Great device, you will enjoy it,
- Outstanding Value at $199 and Full of Functionality / Bells / Whistles
- Awesome for the Price
- You Get Exactly What You Pay For
- Kindle Fire Works!
Where to Buy the Amazon Kinder Fire?
You can buy the Amazon Kindle Fire from Amazon for $199, which currently includes free shipping and a 1-year Limited Warranty and Service as standard. Click to View on Amazon.
Getting Started with the Amazon Kindle Fire?
The Kindle Fire arrives with no frills with just the Kindle Fire device, U.S. power adaptor and a Quick Start Guide included in the package. Once you load up the Fire for the first time an update will automatically start to bring the Fire up to date with the latest software releases (highly recommended). Once the Fire loads up for the first time it will automatically identify you based on your Amazon account and you are now all good to go. Enjoy!
The Kindle Fire will not Replace your PC
It is very important to note that tablets such as the Kindle Fire or even the IPad are designed for portable computing and are best utilised for surfing the net, watching movies, checking email, using apps, and reading newspapers or books. Tablets will not replace your desktop or laptop computer and do not contain the processing power required for creating content such as documents, images, spreadsheets etc. Do not expect the Kindle Fire (or indeed any tablet) to serve as your primary computer or you will be very disappointed and indeed frustrated.
Handy to Have Follow Up Contacts
If you experience any performance issues or if your Kindle Fire is not working properly visit: Kindle Fire Support help pages.
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About the Author
Brian Kirby is a Senior Technology Consultant with a background in information technology, hardware design, software development and computing. He is also a keen surfer, musician, footballer and a collector of technology gadgets and devices. 
