Let me start by saying that as an owner of the previous Kindle Fire, the new Kindle Fire HD is an upgrade in every facet. The screen is truly vibrant, with rich colour saturation and contrast, and the resolution is much higher. This device delivers a much better quality across the board. It has really surpassed my expectations for watching movies and TV shows. The sound from the speakers is remarkable. The quality is very noticeably better. So far I haven't heard an MP3 or video where I had to strain to hear, and oftentimes I have to back down on the volume; you have to hear it to believe it.
This is the best tablet thus far I have ever used in terms of usability for the touch-like nature of the display. Many other tabs are very particular about how hard you need to press before registering, not with the Kindle Fire HD. I have not had the device register anything false as of yet.
The processor is extremely fast, perfect and smooth. I have not had any lag what so ever with the tablet. I play a lot of games on mine and they all run perfectly. With the original Fire the memory was partitioned but with the new device you can use all the user-available memory for anything you like; books, video, music, photos, etc. That is a huge improvement in my eyes.
The text-to-speech for books is awesome; the voice is a female and sounds much less robotic and computer-like than before. On my old Fire the WIFI was very choppy and difficult to pick up but not on this one. It gets all bars across the house and even out in the yard and plays back very quickly. I am looking forward to trying out Skype on this Kindle to keep in touch with my family, also a very cool feature.
The Micro HDMI works as advertised; you get the exact mirroring of what is displayed on your device, unlike many phones with that feature that only allows certain video apps. For the price you are paying you are getting one heck of a deal on a tablet computer. I was so pleased that this device came ready with Bluetooth enabled. I tested it out by taking it to my car and having the Fire HD stream music through my car stereo. There was not one delay or skip with the connection, and it paired up in less than 30 seconds.
Another thing that has been vastly improved for the Fire HD is the email app in which before you would have to scroll back and forth to read an email, as the text wouldn't wrap, this is all fixed now and has a very nice interface for viewing and sending emails.
In conclusion I feel that the Fire HD is really what all tablet users have been waiting for. It is solid, performs well, and has a rich set of features. You will not find a better tablet for the price any time soon.
The Kindle Fire HD - For The Technically Challenged
I really don't think that my wife would object if I described her as totally, 100%, technophobic. She hates almost anything to do with technology. She doesn't particularly like using her mobile phone and, checking her e-mail is an activity which, whilst necessary, has always been a somewhat tense experience - for her and also for anyone else who happens to be nearby.
So it might seem a little strange when I tell you that I got her a Kindle Fire HD tablet computer for her birthday recently. You might be equally surprised to learn that she absolutely loves it. In fact, she has now become the self appointed "Googler" for the family and often offers to look things up on the internet for us (whether we want to or not).
The reason for this is very simple: The Kindle Fire HD is very user friendly and easy to use. It is jam packed with features and functions, a great many of which my wife has not yet used - and, in truth, she will probably never use a lot of the features provided.
However, it is very easy to set up so that e-mail access is achieved with a single tap on the screen. She also uses the calendar facility, which is also simplicity itself to set up for easy, one tap access.
There's no need to wait for a computer to boot up, click through to Chrome or Internet Explorer and then open up your e-mail. There are no error messages or updates to deal with either. In short, all of the minor irritations which seemed to cause my better half so much stress and confusion are now a thing of the past. One tap on the screen and she has access to whatever she needs.
She has now gained quite a bit of confidence and watches movies and TV shows on her tablet. Google searches are also, as mentioned earlier, now well within her comfort zone. I fully expect her to extend her repertoire of technical skills in the near future.
She has gone from someone who avoided using technology wherever possible to someone who makes use of the technology that she needs as and when she wants to. I think that it has been a liberating experience for her.
So, whilst the Kindle Fire HD is absolutely packed full of features and functionality - more than enough to satisfy any gadget lover - it can also provide a lot of enjoyment for the less technically aware thanks to its user friendliness.
Learn more about the Kindle Fire HD tablet computer or click here for more information about tablet computers in general.
Kindle Fire 7" Multi Touch Display With WIFI - Extensive Review
Introduction to the Kindle Fire:
When it comes to tablets the first thing anyone is going to think is, well that's an iPad right? I don't think anyone actually stops and thinks if there's actually any other tablets out there? There are. Not only the iPad but Samsung also has their own tablet that runs on the Android and I'm pretty sure that everyone has heard the word Kindle pop up in a conversation but they have never actually known what it really is. Well Kindle is a tablet, a tablet PC which has is owned by Amazon. This one in particular, is called the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Features packed into the Kindle Fire:
The Kindle Fire comes with a 7″ Touch screen which produces 16 million colors in high resolution. Fact: The Kindle Fire uses a technology called IPS (in-plane switching) which is a similar technology used on the iPad that gives you an edge on extra-wide viewing that can be enjoyed by people next to you. With the Kindle Fire you're able to read magazines in stunning rich color and not only that, through the Amazon store you're literally able to download millions of magazines and book that support this functionality for the Kindle Fire and it's constantly growing, everyday, with new and exciting reads.
With the Kindle Fire, combined with the Amazon store you're able to seamlessly watch hundreds of thousands of videos by either purchasing, renting or streaming them through the tablet. The Amazon is packed with a dual core processor so you don't need to worry about any delay or lag whilst you're surfing the net, watching movies or reading you're books. Not only that, you can rest with ease that your tablet won't crash while you're multitasking watching movies whilst downloading a new application you wish to use in the background - that's the beauty of the dual core processor.
Those extra bits count:
A tablet wouldn't be a tablet without it's applications and games. The Kindle Fire comes with thousands of applications including Netflix, Hulu, Plus and ESPN. Don't forget about those games, you're able to play those same old games you have always played: Words with Friends, Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies and more. The Kindle Fire has games from popular developers such as Zynga, EA and PopCap.
Technical Details of the Kindle Fire:
1024×768 visual display through the 7″ monitor supporting upwards of 16 million colors.
No requirements, wireless and doesn't require a computer.
8GB Internal storage (6gb after OS software, etc) This can pretty much store 80 apps and 800 songs.
Battery life lasts up to 8 hours and recharges in 4 hours via included power adapter (please see merchant for type of power outlet)
The Kindle also comes with hundreds of extra accessories that can be purchased through the Amazon Store.
Conclusion:
For a tablet that performs like an iPad at around $300 less of the cost it's no surprise that the Kindle Fire 7″ is a very popular item amongst a lot of users. It has every feature that you could possibly want on a tablet. The only downfall I see from the Kindle is the fact that it doesn't have 3G (So it only supports WIFI) The Kindle doesn't actually come with a camera so it's more in the line of the iPad as opposed to the iPad 2. Other than the Camera function (Which really, is what a camera is for) and the 3G the Kindle is pretty much on par if not tons better than the iPad, you also get tons of support from Amazon along with a lot of great extras such as the extra cloud hosting and endless applications, books, music and videos.
The Kindle Fire 7″ is definitely a tablet to put in your list if you're looking into getting a new tablet.
I own a website that provides quality and extensive reviews on products on a weekly basis, you can see this article plus my other reviews by going to My Website.
To sum up what I will tell you about in the details below, for just $159 you are getting one heck of a deal on a tablet computer - especially if you compare it to the $199 for the first-generation Fire this one is replacing and the $500 or more you can spend on a Wi-Fi version of the iPad. Overall, if you consider the price and the functionality I think this is an outstanding tool / toy. My review below compares a lot of the features of this version of the Fire to the original Fire, but also some of the features for a first-time user.
Wi-Fi Connectivity:
My standard test for trying out new gadgets is to see how fast they run side-by-side with a known piece of equipment doing the same test at the best place of Wi-Fi in my house and the worst place where it drags. In this comparison, I had this version of the Fire sitting next to the previous version of the Fire, my Motorola RAZR smartphone, my iPad 2 (yes, the Kindle guy uses an iPad for work), and the new 7" Fire HD (the Fire HD is in a separate yet similar review) all just using a Wi-Fi connection vs. cellular connectivity..
My website test is to hit the mobile websites of FoxNews, CNN, my personalized Yahoo page, Google, and the Houston Chronicle. The ones that were usually slow on the other devices and were slow on the Kindle Fire (Houston Chronicle and CNN), and for the other sites I couldn't tell a difference in speed at the location closest to my router. When I went to the slowest / worst reception location of my house, the speed did not have a noticeable difference in the other devices, except it did lose connection on CNN. Basic web searches on Google were all at the same speed.
Screen Display / Video Playback:
Amazon has made a few tweaks in the display / resolution, and I compared the viewing experience watching - don't laugh - the first episode of the Wonder Woman TV series from the 70's. The display on this Fire was one heck of a lot better in terms of sharpnessthan last year's model. For you technical folks out there, the display is the same 1024x600 on last year's model yet looked crisper - the only thing I can attribute that to is last year's model I have has been used quite a bit and maybe there is some decrease in the view over time or it could be because I have a 3M screen protector on the old and haven't put one on yet with the new. I don't know, it's just better looking.
Sound / Music Playback:
Similar to last year's model, the two speakers are located at the top of the Kindle Fire in two not-noticeable ports. My test of this feature was cranking up Van Halen's Panama to maximum volume (I wanted to see if it could really play the guitar licks), and I would alternate covering one speaker up over the other: you have true stereo sound with no degradation of the sound that makes you think you are about to blow the speaker. The headphone jack is located at the bottom of the unit just to the left of the power switch and the micro-USB port. I don't like the placement here, as I tend to read books in the portrait mode (up / down similar to holding a book) vs. landscape mode, and the bottom of my headphone cord tends to "poke" you in the leg while reading and listening to a song at the same time.
Email Setup:
Email setup was very easy, but I will tell you I am using an existing app called Enhanced Email that I received here on the Amazon app store for free vs. what came as standard with the Fire. I did setup the email app that came with the program with no problem - it took about a minute to setup my main Google account - and I was able to send and receive emails with no problem. For those of you asking yourself why am I using the Enhanced Email program, the simple answer is like many of you I have more than one email account: you can quickly switch back and forth on the accounts with the tool. The lazy person in me appreciates that as I don't like getting out of the lazy chair once I'm settled in!
New Tabs and Screen Layout:
In addition to the normal Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps, and Web tabs Amazon has added a new look and feel to the overall display such as rather than 5 rows of 5 apps per row on the apps tab it is now 4 rows of apps with 4 apps per row which means bigger icons and fonts (yes), but more things to scroll through to find what you are looking for. To offset that pain, I think that's why the added the new tabs called Shop, Games, Audiobooks, and Offers. While many of these are self-explanatory, there are a LOT of ads in each of the tabs - after all, Amazon wants you to buy a lot of stuff to help offset whatever the true cost of this unit is.
While the apps tab has all of your apps in the cloud or on the device, the games tab basically slices and dices the apps you have to be game specific - that's pretty handy and helps out quite a bit, especially if you have a lot of apps and want to sit down and play a game (although you still have to scroll away to find, say, a business app in the app tab).
What I think is a really nice new feature is the Audiobooks tab. Amazon of course gives you many opportunities in this tab to make purchases from their Audible subsidiary, but you also have a "Library" area where you can see your audiobooks that are stored either on the Cloud or on your Kindle Fire in the Device tab.
Reading Books:
When the Fire first came out, I preferred reading on my e-Ink Kindle and not at all on the Fire. That's because I think reading is easier on my eyes with the e-Ink version of Kindle, but I'm getting there! Turning pages is pretty darn easy - just tap the side of the screen to go to the next page or back a page, or you can swipe your finger across the screen to do the same.
Feature I wish this had?
The #1 thing would have to be a Bluetooth connectivity option. Of course, if I put this right next to my iPad there could be others such as the larger screen and a 3G or 4G connection option, but that's going to be in next month's release and I would call myself an iPad-lite user vs. an experienced pro so who knows what else I could be missing (life has been good so far, so I'm not complaining)? For $159, I feel like I am getting a lot already.
The #2 thing would be a plug / charger that connects to an electrical outlet vs. a USb port on your computer or a USB-compatible charging plug you may already own. I realize they had to cut things out to keep the cost down to $159, and luckily I - like many of you - have lots of these things laying around. First time buyers may not, but they might be in the minority.
Overall, at $159 this is not a great deal it is an outstanding deal. Kids will love it as they can read books, play games, watch TV and movies, and a whole lot of other things. Adults should like it for the exact same reasons, but while I try to minimize the amount of work-related stuff I do at home with the business apps that are available here in the Amazon App store and other places around the Internet I can also work on Excel and Word-compatible files when I have to without having to fire up my work laptop or whatever the case may be.
