Kindle Fire
Product Information
Kindle Fire review
Amazon announced Kindle Fire as the tablet version of their enormously famous Kindle e-reader. Kindle Fire was placed as a direct competitor to the tablets of other companies like iPad 2 etc. Many reviews and feedback are placing Kindle Fire as one of the leading tablets in the coming years. But what are the reasons you should go for it? This article is aimed specifically to help you make a decision whether to go for Kindle Fire or not.
So, what’s the wait? Let’s get started.
The main reason Kindle Fire is gaining immense popularity is due to its incredibly low and affordable price tag. With an introductory price of $199, most reviewers are asking the question that why other tablets are placing their price tag so high when Amazon Kindle is able to introduce their tablet at such an amazing price?
Hardware Specs:
Processor: The processor in Kindle Fire is Dual Core TI OMAP 4 which gives it a smooth and fast speed, especially optimal for tablets. It is head-to-head with other tablets in terms of its processing speed and lacks nowhere in support for any type of application or platform.
Memory: Kindle Fire has 8 GB of memory with no option of extendable memory. It supports no SD card etc to increase the memory capacity. You have to make do with 8 GB. Although it is more than enough for apps and e-books, 8GB might prove a problematic if you plan to storing lots of movies and high definition multimedia content in you tablet.
Screen: Kindle Fire offers 7 inches of screen size with 1024×600 resolution and 169 pixels per inch. This gives it a very clear view which is really helpful to give a great effect of graphics and text.
Software Specs:
Operating System: Kindle Fire operates Google’s renowned Android Platform version 2.3 (Gingerbread), which is user-friendly and offers a large variety of compatibility and customization.
Applications: Kindle Fire is currently offering 15,000+ apps through its Amazon App store and Android market. We might see a large increase in the collection of apps in the future years. It also provides you with the option of subscribing to e-books, magazines, newspapers and comic books.
Other Specs:
Its battery life can reach up to 8 hours and weighing almost half as other tablets, with only 14.6 ounces, it is much easier to carry and handle. It utilizes Amazon’s renowned browser, the Amazon Silk. It is incredibly fast and its support on all the websites is simply immense. However, the browser is not in competition with other internet browsers like the Internet Explorer 9 or Apple’s Safari. It also has a support for cloud storage on Amazon’s Cloud storage.
Summary:
All in all, Amazon Kindle Fire is a must have gadget which offers a lot to do with not very much to ask from you. However Kindle Fire does have some shortcomings. It is short a camera which makes it impossible to have a video conversation. It also lacks 3G connectivity and therefore no GPS either.
Technical details:
Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi
Display
- 7″ multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size (in inches)
- 7.5″ x 4.7″ x 0.45″ (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm).
Weight
- 14.6 ounces (413 grams).
System Requirements
- None, because it’s wireless and doesn’t require a computer.
On-device Storage
- 8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That’s enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Cloud Storage
- Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery Life
- Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.
Charge Time
- Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via
USB.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
- Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port
- USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio
- 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported
- Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8