| Rating: |  |
|---|---|
| Status: | Released Nov 2011 |
| Buy: | Buy Now Just $199 |
| Pros: | - Great Value for Money - Good Screen Display - Highly Durable |
| Cons: | - Low Storage Limit - No Camera / Microphone - No Side Volume Controls |
| Overall: | While the Kindle Fire is not perfect at $199 you are getting excellent value for money and you will enjoy many of the features the Fire offers. |
The Amazon Kindle Fire was launched in November 2011 as a cheaper alternative tablet to the ever-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 thin 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 too 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
Amazon have put significant effort into the Kindle Fire’s Silk Web Browser which was touted as “a revolutionary, cloud-accelerated browser that uses a split browser architecture to leverage the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services cloud”. While this sounds impressive I have that found webpage load time is no quicker / no slower on the Kindle’s Silk Web Browser through a standard Wi-Fi network connection. Given the emphasise Amazon put on the Silk Browser I found this quiet disappointing. In terms of usage the Silk also performs adequatley – you can flip between pages using the tabbed interface and Java, Javescript and Flash content are all supported automatically. Overall I found the Silk Browser adequate, not “revolutionary”.
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 it is the best scratch resistant piece of technology I have owned or used. Coupled with the “rubbery” back exterior the Kindle Fire a very durable piece of technology.
Storage Cloud
With only 6GB of onboard memory on the Fire the Cloud Storage is very important. Amazon provides free Cloud Storage (5GB Limit) for all your Amazon content (books, magazines, movies, music, apps etc.) which can be easily downloaded (Internet connection required obviously!) at the quick flick of a finger. Amazon MP3s are automatically stored on the Cloud and do not contribut to the overall storage. For users with a large collection of media on the Cloud, additional memory can be purchased as a relatively moderae cost if just $1 per 1GB a year. Overall I like the cloud model and predict it will become more and more prominent in future technology.
Apps / Content
The Kindle Fire runs on a customized version of the Android Operation System which limits the number of applications and games that can be downloaded for the Fire. Overall there are over 200,000 Android Apps available online yet there are only 10,000 odd applications available on the Amazon App Marketplace. While Android apps not specifically tailored for the Fire may work (many do) there is no guarantees that they will or that Amazon will change this restriction in the future.
The Fire does not come with a range of standard apps installed, apart from a simple POP/IMAP email program and the Kindle Docs Reader which converts office documents into a Kindle compatable version. All the popular apps such as Netflix, QuickOffice Pro, YouTube and Twitter are available through the Amazon App store although although there is no official Facebook App (I use the standard Facebook Android Application which is not optimized for a tablet interface but works quiet well otherwise). As the Fire is not locked, you can manually install unlocked Android Apps by connecting your Fire to your PC and copying app files onto the Fire.
Music-wise the Amazon music store has a huge selection of both free and paid songs available and songs can be loaded to your Cloud Drive or downloaded to your local drive for offline listening while you can also upload your existing music collection onto your Fire’s local drive.
On must-have application I would highly reccommend is SeekDroid ($2.99) which lets you locate and remotely wipe your Kindle Fire in the event of theft.
Price
At just $199 on Amazon the Kindle Fire represents great value for money and will simply not be beaten on price.
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, even with the Cloud Storage.
- 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 12,000+ reviews on Amazon, over 50% have given the Kindle Fire the max 5 Stars. Here are some of the comments to date:
- As a long-time Kindle fan I was eager to get my hands on a Fire. For the most part I’ve found that it does what I wanted it to, which is be the one device I can take with me anywhere. There are some great features; the reader app is excellent (though not without flaws), the app store experience is terrific, videos are fantastic, and the device is quick and for the most part dead-simple to use, all thanks to the services Amazon provides……….
- The kindle fire is great. I prefer it over the iPad (which I also have) because of the lighter weight and smaller size. The keyboard is great. You can type on it with two thumbs just like an iPod touch or cellphone. I was really surprised with how great of quality the speakers are. Music is cheaper than on iTunes. The web browsing is faster than my computer. I would definately recommend the kindle fire………..
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.
Hοw Tο Order the Amazon Kindle Fire?
The Kindle Fire is only available in the United States and can be bought on from Amazon for $199 including free delivery. Amazon have yet to confirm when the Kindle Fire will be available in other countries.
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. 
