The Amazon Kindle Fire has been described as the perfect option for the occasional tablet PC user. With a entry level price tag of only £159, it is also one of the cheapest.
Despite the smaller 7-inch display screen, the Kindle Fire delivers on its promise of clear and precise digital media viewing.
The Beginnings
The Amazon Kindle began life in November 2007 as an e-book reader. It made it extremely easy for users to download digital media such as e-books and e-magazines over the internet. Its initial purpose was restricted to surfing and reading downloaded content. By taking advantage of and perfecting electronic paper technology, the developers at Amazon were able to effectively simulate reading on white paper.
The initial Kindle device was also designed to consume as little power as possible, thereby allowing for maximum reading time on the go. It also featured 250MB of internal memory space that can hold about 250 non-illustrated books.
Kindle Firing on All Cylinders!
The Kindle Fire was first introduced by Amazon back in September 2011. It was the first Kindle manufactured without the signatory electronic paper display technology. This new revolutionary device sported a 7-inch display to go along with the new IPS panel (In-Plane Switching) technology.
The new IPS technology resulted in more consistent and accurate colour ranges from various viewing angles. It is able to process high-speed signals with absolutely no data loss as well as delivering clear, focused images quickly.
Firing Up on Feature!
Kindle Fire HD was introduced in September 2012 and comes in two sizes, 7-inch and 8.9-inch displays. Unlike the original version, the HD model comes with a built-in microphone and has more RAM, a faster processor and an up-to-date operating system. The machine takes full advantage of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software technology.
The Kindle Fire HD comes with a dual core CPU with a processing speed of 1.5GHz, thus allowing for smooth and easy video streaming and content downloading. The 1GB of RAM is also an attempt to bring this product up to the level of its competitors, like Google Nexus.
Amazon second foray into the tablet PC market has been a success. The Kindle Fire HD gives users a true tablet PC experience with the ability to surf, download and personalise applications. Instead of focusing on the very specific job of downloading and reading e-books, Kindle Fire successfully attempts to be all things to all tablet PC users. It basically acts as a window into the mighty digital world of the Amazon powerful multimedia giant.
A Couple of Misfires
There are a couple of areas where the Kindle Fire falls short. In attempting to morph itself into a true tablet PC and remain loyal to the Kindle brand and customer base, it has created something in between.
The tablet interface, albeit simple, is a little restrictive. It makes simple tasks like accessing and sending emails very difficult, indeed. Other standard tablet PC features that enable and simplify multi-tasking just aren’t there.
It scores highly on media content, but poorly when it comes to gaming and apps. However, overall, the majority of Kindle enthusiasts are more than likely to be very pleased with Amazon’s efforts.
David is a freelancer writing working for robustbuy which is an online tablet pc seller,Make sure to check robustbuy out!