Kindle Fire HD

I've been an iPad user since the original came out. I also have an iPad 3. I have worked in IT for the past few years so I would say I am pretty good with technology and fancy new devices. With that introduction out of the way, I will be reviewing key points that I have seen touched upon in other reviews. Here goes...

BUILD

The device feels nice and solid. I'm a little surprised at how heavy it is, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The rubberized backing is always nice for added grip. It's not as nice as say unibody aluminum, but it's not $500 either.

SCREEN

The screen is fantastic. But my problem is the same as when iPad got Retina Display, other than the OS, most apps look rather pixelated. A lot of the games I tried are not high definition, at least not high enough to look smooth on this screen. Hopefully apps get updated to higher resolutions.

LOCK SCREEN ADS

Yeah there are ads on my lock screen. I'm not sure why this is such a big deal. How much time do people really spend looking at the lock screen? The first thing I thought when I saw the ads is WOW the pictures are really crisp! The ads are there to subsidize some of the $200 price tag. I might pay the $15 to get rid of them so I can customize it, but I might not. I feel like this has been blown out of proportion by other customers.

SOUND

The sound from the speakers is great. Much better than you would get from more expensive devices, very crisp and clean. I have the official Amazon case on and it has not affected the sound at all. Nothing much else to say, I doubt anyone will complain about this.

CRASHING

I've had two apps crash on opening. I don't know if it is the app or the OS. It's probably somewhere in the middle. Again, not a big deal for me. If it crashes, then I just tap it again and it works. I've also watched a few movies using the built in player as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime. No crashes for me at all. I'm sure OS stability will be improved as time goes on.

OVERALL SATISFACTION

Compared to my iPad 3, obviously the Fire HD is not as "good" so to speak. I mainly got it because I wanted something smaller. I also mainly used the iPad to surf the web, watch videos, and play some simple games. The Fire HD accomplishes this and does so much more. If you are expecting an iPad killer, or a desktop replacement, or a productivity machine, then you should look elsewhere.

I bought this to be a media device, and I believe that is what Amazon meant this to be. In this regard, I think this is a great device. In fact, I decided to keep this and sell my iPad 3, which will give me another $200+ to spend on other things. Just remember, this device is not for everyone. If you want a media device, you will be happy with this. Do not expect an iPad for $200.

UPDATE 9/18/12

Just wanted to add a few more things I have noticed over the past 24 hours.

Power/Volume Buttons: There are a bit hard to press, which is somewhat alleviated by having the official case. Maybe it's because I'm a longtime iPad user, but this will definitely take some getting used to.

Screen Glare: It took me a little while to notice, but I was playing a Seek & Find game while on Caltrain, with the bright Palo Alto sun shining right on me, and didn't have any trouble seeing the screen. I remembered that Amazon mentioned how the screen was changed to reduce glare, and they did an amazing job.

UPDATE 9/20/12

Two days later and I am still very happy with the device. Here are some more thoughts from me:

BATTERY LIFE

I have been playing Enigmatis (a hidden object game) for about an hour and a half each day on my commute. This drains about 15 20% of the battery with the screen brightness almost at the highest setting. Again, not iPad gold standard, but still very good.

SYNCING MUSIC

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and used an app called Easy Phone Transfer to get all my music from iTunes onto the phone. It transferred everything, including album covers, and I was hoping to find something like that for this device. I tried iSyncr, a $3 app, which did the job, but did not sync over album covers. I uploaded all my music into the Cloud, then downloaded it from Amazon, which increased the audio quality for a lot of my songs and added artwork, but this still did not show up on the device.

I got very frustrated getting all the album artwork over and eventually just gave up. It's not a big deal but I am kind of anal about those kinds of things. Just a heads up if anyone else out there is crazy about it like I am.

UPDATE 09/21/12

I got a call from Amazon Customer Service about this review, which surprised me very much. They advised me the best way to get the artwork to show up is have the songs in both the Cloud Player as well as the device, which I know does work fine. I was hoping to have the artwork show without needing things in the Cloud, but not a big deal any more.

I am more impressed with the fact that Amazon called me to give me advice on how to remedy the situation and ask if there were any other questions I had on the Kindle. The representative said he wanted to make sure I was happy with the Fire HD. This is one of the big reasons I went with the Kindle, and with Amazon in general. I have had great experiences with their customer service, who have always been able to handle my issues quickly and efficiently. No need to set up an appointment days later with a wannabe IT guy with a hugely overstated job title.

So this update is not really for the device itself, but sometimes it's not just the device, it's the company that offers it that makes a difference. This is why I no longer have any Apple devices, as cool as they may be. But it's not 100% gravy, as I have noticed lately that the keyboard keeps popping up randomly on screens where there is nowhere to enter text, ie. while playing a game. I just have to press the Back arrow to get rid of it, but maybe a bug the Amazon engineers want to take a look at.

UPDATE 10/05/12

So I don't know if it was always there, but over this past weekend I noticed a dead pixel on my Kindle's screen. I called Kindle Support and after a short 5 minute call, they sent me a new Kindle, no questions asked. So once again, very happy with Amazon customer service. I am still very happy with the device, and have some more thoughts on it:

HDMI CONNECTION

I bought an HDMI cable to hook up the Fire to my 46" Samsung and was quite impressed with the results. The quality was very good, not Bluray quality of course, but better than SDTV on an HD screen. You actually see every single thing you do on the big screen, like you are using a giant Kindle.

GOOGLE PLAY APPS

One of the main drawbacks in my opinion is, or should I say was, the lack of all the Google Play apps available on the Kindle. With a little research, I found out how to add apps that are not available in the Amazon store. It is pretty easy to do and works very well with the apps I tried. This greatly improves my opinion of the Fire HD.

PLASTIC AROUND THE SCREEN

The outer most edges of the Kindle are plastic. I noticed some kind of discoloration on the corner of mine, and just thought it was some dirt to scratch off. So I rubbed my thumb nail on the area, and noticed there were visible marks on the plastic. It appears this plastic can scratch some what easily, but I think this is just cosmetic as not of the plastic actually flaked. If you are not very anal about how your stuff looks, you probably won't notice it.

OS CHANGES

Here are two small gripes I have with the OS that I'm sure could be fixed with an OS update:

Battery Meter: It would be nice if the battery meter could show percentage instead of just a graphic bar. Some people have mentioned Battery HD, but you still have to swipe down to see the percentage, so this makes it easier but does not solve the issue I had.

Personal Videos: The mp4 videos I put on the device are located in the "Personal Videos" app, which shows screen shots of all the videos I put in. The problem is, all that is shown are the screen shots. You can get more info by holding your finger down on each video, but when you have multiple seasons of a show on the Kindle, it can get confusing. Ideally we should be able to look at videos in a list like our music.

UPDATE 11/15/12

Still very happy with the device. Here are some more thoughts:

LEFT HAND MODE

I did't think this would be a problem until I played a Solitaire game that DID have a left-handed mode. As a lefty who usually uses the Fire in landscape, I often have to reach across the screen to access the Settings or Home button in the menu. It's a small grievance, but can be really annoying when watching a movie or reading something. If there was an option for a left-handed layout with the menus on the left side of the device, that would be great.

PERSONAL VIDEOS APP

I had earlier complained about this app, as it did not list my movies and crashed playing a pair of them. I recently drove down to LA from SF, and put 5 movies on device, only to find that 4 of them would not play! I was pretty mad, until I remembered a simple solution, download another app. I downloaded Avia Media Player, which is not the greatest either, but it played all the movies I put on the Kindle. My faith was restored.

GOOGLE PLAY APPS

A lot of people have asked how to do this. If you are not having luck with Google searches, try this:

I have been an Amazon customer for years having owned the first gen Kindle and currently the 6" Kindle. I have purchased the 1st gen Fires for my children for Christmas last year and I have purchased both the touch and 1st Fire for my father.

I already own an Ipad and did not feel the need to own a Fire, since I believe they duplicated the same purpose. I did however place an order for the Paperwhite, but after thinking about it, why not own a full functional device that is more than just an ereader.

I love the eInk displays and how light the regular Kindles are. One of my main gripes about tables are that they are heavier and you cant read the screen in bright daylight. I'm not really sure why the daylight is such a big deal for me, since I probably only read outside when I'm on vacation (2x a year).

Anyway, I cancelled the Paperwhite and ordered the Fire HD. I love it. It is portable, I never take my Ipad anywhere, just too big. I uploaded my entire music library from Itunes to Amazon Cloud, (so much for being locked down Apple!) and of course all of my books are on it. I regularly borrow books from my local library and was often frustrated that when I was away from home I could not search for books on my regular Kindle, becuase the experimental browser was just not functional enough.

The sound is amazing as everyone has said, as well as the display. No need to go into detail about what everyone else said. My only gripe is that the touch screen is not really as responsive as I would like, but it still works fine. The display does cut the reflection and you can read out doors. That is not to say there is no glare, it's just not an unreadable LCD screen any longer.

As far as the ads go, I don't find them obtrusive. I like knowing what other people bought or may have looked at. What's the big deal? If your friends recommend something to you, do you get mad? Same thing here to me.

I like that I can sync my email and now, actually use the Prime streaming video service. Yes, I know I could use the app on my Ipad, but like I said, I like it all packaged neatly here.

My only question is how many HD movies/TV shows can you download to the device? I like to download them when I travel and delete when I get home.

If you are an Amazon user, you should know that this tablet is no different that any other device (Apple?) that tries to get you completely integrated into their system. Should not really be a surprise to anyway that all of the shopping experiences point to Amazon.

I am pleased to have a tablet that is portable and easy to use.

Great job Amazon.

My word to the rest of the "reviewers" don't actually own the product, but write reviews on products that you don't own, to grip about a feature you read about. It's silly and clutters the reviews for those of us that actually like reading what other people are saying about a product.

**Update 10/1/2012**

After having my fire for a few weeks I still have very few complaints. I pretty much carry it with me whenever I am out of the house. I love having the option to read or if there way available wi-fi watch a movie. I wish it came with 4G but I bet it would make the price out of line with other small tablets.

The only cons I have is the typing experiences. It seems there is not predicitive text for the Silk browser which makes typing a little tough. I hear though there will be an update.

I dislike fingerprints on the screen when reading, but easily remedied with s soft cloth.

I have read 3 books and I am on my 4th and the screen is no issue whatsoever. This was my biggest concern before purchasing. I have no issue whatsoever. Just so you know, I read a lot and love the Eink Kindles, so this was an experiment to see if I could read for long periods of time with no eyestrain. Not an issue at all.

All in all I still love it. I have not used my Ipad since getting my fire.

Buy Kindle Fire HD Now

I purchased the original Kindle Fire on release day last year. It served me pretty well but was extremely glitchy. It would freeze, restart and stutter while playing games. For what it was, an entry level device, it wasnt bad.

So when the Kindle Fire HD was released, I decided I might as well give it a go as well. So far the Kindle HD looks to be twice the machine the original was. I am gonna keep this short and sweet and just create a pros and cons list for you guys. I dont want to be too long winded, but if you have questions you post in the comments, I will try to respond to them for a little while today.

PROS:

1. Vibrant Screen

2. Much more responsive to the Touch than the original Kindle ever was.

3. Games that stuttered on the Original, play flawlessly on the HD.

4. The speakers are awesome, Loud, clear and crisp. No need for the Volume + app like on the original fire.

5. The device is slim, sleek and sexy. Really like the curves on the back and the styling.

6. Front facing camera works great for SKYPE. Quality was better than that on my SIII phone.

7. Wifi seems a bit faster, but not by much. Silk still isnt an optimal browser though. I have 65Mbps Download and 15Mbps Upload subscribed service.

8. Cloud sync worked like a charm, almost everything from my old fire is now on my new Fire HD.

9. The device feels sturdy and well built.

CONS:

1. The "Customers Also Bought" on the bottom of the home screen is terrible. I can care less about what others bought. The advertisements on the Lock Screen are fine and understandable, they really dont bother me at all or with the function of the device. The CAB on the home screen take away from having your favorites immediately accessible and are extremely intrusive with no option to remove it. I would gladly keep the ads on the lockscreen and pay 15 bucks to get rid of the CAB on the homescreen. Enough on that.

2. I work in a hospital and I know 11 people including my wife who now is a proud owner of a Fire HD. One thing we have all noticed is that sometimes when you unlock your device, the speakers will make a popping sound, sort of like a static or feedback. Hopefully this gets fixed.

3. Compared to the Original fire, there is a noticeable delay when clicking on apps or games. It seems more prevalent on certain apps but the same apps have no issue on the original Fire. More prevalent on the HD than on the original.

4. Magic books. For some odd reason, things I remove from the carousel magically reappear to irritate me constantly. I am a bit OCD and only want what I use to be on my carousel and nothing more. Hopefully this will be fixed as well.

5. Certain apps that were available on the Kindle Fire, are not available on the Kindle Fire HD. Accuweather for example is no longer a free app on the HD neither is ScreenDim.

6. I do not understand why we cannot use a different keyboard like Swiftkey. That would be a massive upgrade over the stock keyboard.

NON ISSUES:

1. Flash Player It isnt so hard to get this to be a flash device. First you need a browser that allows flash to operate. Download a browser like Dolphin 8.8.1 to begin with. Not only does Dolphin perform better than Silk, it is more intuitive as well. Next download Flash Player 11.1 for ICS, make sure its for ICS. Once both are sideloaded, install, and flash should be working. It works on mine. CHECK MY COMMENTS FOR A STEP BY STEP

2. Charger not included Again, in this day and age, most cellphones and other electronic devices use a mini usb charger. Just use the same plug for the Fire HD. I use my old Fire charger just fine.

3. Carousel While most agree customization of the carousel skins would of been a nice touch, it still isnt a deal breaker and I didnt buy it to stare at the carousel.

I probably have over 20 hours on the Fire HD right now. From my memory that is all I can recall. If I remember anything or run across anything, new I will just edit in an update below. Any questions just ask in the comments. Overall, this device seems like a great deal. It should be much stronger once a patch is released to fix some bugs, but what doesnt need a patch these days once a product is released. Overall great showing by Amazon. Good Luck

Update #1 9-17-2012

So this is the second time that I have come home from work and the wifi on my Kindle Fire HD is acting wonky. It worked fine at work, then I got home and if I wasnt in the same room as the router, I couldnt get a page to load even though I had full bars of wifi. A reset of the Kindle HD completely fixed this and now I am outside on my front porch, far far away from my router. Hopefully an update will fix the wifi steadiness. Not sure if its because I switched to a different network or what, but I am gonna submit feedback to amazon regarding the issue.

Update #2 09-19-2012

So the issue occurred again. My Fire HD wifi worked this morning at home. I went to work, it hooked up to the public wifi at work no problems. I get home and unless I am right next to my router, pages will not load. Instead of restarting the entire FIRE HD, I went to options, turned off wifi and turned it back on. Problem was solved. Everything then worked as it should. I am not sure why I am having these issues with Wifi as I am a gaming geek and have brand new equipment and top of the line router and modem. I have the Asus RT-N66U router and Motorola SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 modem. All other devices and the original FIRE work fine, no issues. If anyone else has these issues try turning wifi off then on again.

Update #3 09-20-2012

So it occurred again. I emailed Kindle Feedback with the issue to hopefully have them fix it in an update. By the way, if you guys want to report issues with your kindle fire, email: kindle-feedback@amazon.com

09-22-2012

So it has been a full work week of use for the Kindle Fire HD. I have probably used the device now for about 50-60 hours of web browsing, shopping, posting on forums, playing games, skyping, watching movies and reading. What is nice is one of those Advertisements on the lock screen that so many people complain about gave me a free 5 dollar credit to rent a movie on Amazon Instant Video for nothing at all. How could they? LOL. Overall the Kindle Fire HD has been a superb device for me. Only a few apps have forced closed on me during this time, just as often as on any other device. I am used to the "Customers also bought" section on the homepage already, I dont even notice it anymore. Like I said before, the advertisements are really a non issue, and actually have paid me by giving me free MP3 credits and free movie credits. Wifi speed is good, picture clarity is great, sound is in a class of itself for tablets.

10-27-12

Update 7.2.1 finally enables us to get rid of the pesky "Customers Also Bought" that many of us were complaining about. Now we have just our normal carousel without anyone trying to get us to buy something that we do not want. The patch still did nothing for the popping noise that the speakers make randomly while using the tablet. I have now noticed it makes a popping noise sometimes even during games, not only when sliding the open bar on the lock screen. This doesnt happen often, but when it does, it is annoying. There are still instances where the wifi drops out or says it is connected and doesnt allow you to surf the web. You must then turn wifi off then back on again on the kindle fire and everything is fine. Amazon says they are working on a fix and I have sent my data log files to them on numerous occasions to help with this issue.

I really dont think you can beat this at its price range at all especially if you are an avid Amazon shopper. The Amazon Prime subscription ($79.00 a year) basically gives you a subscription to a "netflix-like" streaming service (netflix is $96.00 a year for streaming), access to tons of books and free 2 day shipping on most amazon purchases. That benefit right there is what seals the deal, no other tablet provider can lump together all those services at a low price like Amazon. I am really happy with my choice, but sure there are things I would love to have on this tablet, but I knew that before buying it. If anyone has questions just post them in the comments. I do my best to answer them. Also if you see a question on there you feel you can answer, by all means please do. Its nice to help others get the full potential out of their purchases. Have a good one.

I will continue to update this thread with all my findings and hope to help people make an informed decision. Thanks

Read Best Reviews of Kindle Fire HD Here

HelloThis is taken from the perspective of a very dire hard Apple/iPad fan. Here goes.

First, this product is absolutely incredible. I really went into it expecting to dislike it. I even tried to cancel my order, but I was too late and it was delivered. Thus, I opened the package expecting to have nothing but complaints compared to my iPad3 (or whatever its called).

Pros:

Image quality is stunning. Really really terrific

Build quality is, I think, actually better than the iPad (which shocked me)The reason is that I HATE holding aluminum in my hands for a long time. It doesn't breath and when I'm on a hot airplane, I really hate it.

Form factor is FAR FAR better than the iPad. Keep in mind, I travel to China and back all the time, so I really want something that is very portable. The form factor is 100% perfect for traveling.

Flawless integration with Amazon's ecosystemThis is really the reason I bought it (and size). I actually sit there and smile when I use this to get to movies, tv, and all my books and magazines. SMOKES the iPad.

Usability it terrific. I just turn it on and it works.

Why only 4 stars?

5 stars to me means 100% perfect. This is not 100% perfect, but its pretty darn close

No charger? Really? C'mon. It takes hours to charge via usb. I just sort of feel short changed a little. I just used my iPad's USB charging plug and it works great.

I've had to restart it 2 times in 4 days. It seems to just sort of get confused when I'm really hammering on it. Restarts take about 30seconds so its no biggie.

Amazon needs more apps, badly. Granted, all I want is books, video, web browsing, email, and calendar. It does all this perfectly. But more choices would be nice.

Overall, I'm guessing my iPad will make its way to the kids now over time. If you travel a lot, want your amazon content, and do basic email/web/calendar, etc... this device smokes the iPad. I can't believe I'm saying this.

Hope this helps.

Want Kindle Fire HD Discount?

First: I love it. It's almost too much fun. I go to read, but wind up watching a movie. There are so many choices, I get distracted. For the money, for its intended purposes, assuming you understand what it does and doesn't do, it's the best deal you can get. It's an entire entertainment system in one affordable compact package. As a reader, it's great, although adjusting it to the level of brightness that suits you is a bit of trial and error. It's easy to adjust, but my eyes are picky. For just plain reading, my older 2nd gen Kindle is easier.

The sound is very good. Hard to believe you can get that much sound out of such tiny speakers. Impressive. The quality of the video is superb, much better than I expected. I find that I actually do watch movies in bed with my little 7" Fire HD. Because I was already a Prime member, they have so much available for free it will be a long time before I feel I need to buy anyhthing more. I have a huge library for Kindle which I can use either unit or any of my three computers. These migrate automatically.

The new Kindle HD links to the older of my 2 Audible accounts. They cannot yet link an Audible account that isn't under the same email address as your Amazon account NOR have they the technology to link multiple Audible accounts, period. IF you have mulitple Audible account under the same email address as your Amazon account, they can consolidate the libraries, but it will be one single account. They said they are working on this ... and you have to call Audible for this help, though Audible is very good about tech help and always have been, even before Amazon bought them. Audibleis working on solving this, but don't hold your breath.

The device is great for listening to audiobooks, far better for me than an MP3 player because I hate earphones. The Kindle is small enough to carry in a purse and not heavy.

Issues: 16GB is plenty ... unless you want to download HD movies. Streaming them (what I have so far done) uses no memory, so no problem. Regular "print" books are small; you can carry a whole library with you if you want. It's when you get to music and audiobooks (or the aforementioned HD movies) that you realize there's a a bit of a problem. You cannot stream audiobooks: you have to download them to the device. Nor is there any way to add memory. Kindle has no slot for an SD chip or port for a flash drive. Why not? Wouldn't it have been a no-brainer to include a port or slot for a card or flash drive? That, in my opinion, was a bad mistake. You cannot expand beyond the device's embedded memory. Period. No options. Buying the 32 GB version moves the wall, but doesn't remove it. Amazon should add a port for memory, either flash or a card. They should address this issue soon.

You need to understand the limits of the device, what the advertisements don't explain.

Audiobooks can be large. A really long book takes up quite a bit a space. You can load a few books at a time if they are normal-length books, but not 57 hours of "Lord of the Rings," for example. After you listen to a book, delete it. Then download the next. Unlike when you download to your computer from Audible, you cannot download a multi part book in sections. It's all or nothing. A book that is in your Audible library in several parts, which these days is any book longer than 11 hours, will download in a single piece to the Kindle. If the book you want to load is LOTR or Winds of War, make sure you have enough room.

You can store everything you aren't actively listening to, watching, or reading on Amazon's (free) cloud servers, so deleting content isn't losing it, just moving it off the device. This is well and good as long as you have WiFi. It gets stickier if you are on the road and WiFi connections are not available. If you travel a great deal, road warriors may want to wait and get the version that comes with 3G (available in late November I believe). If you are mainly looking to use it on the road, get the 3G. I have 3G on my older Kindle; it's great when you want a book, but don't have a WiFi connection. It will automatically switch to 3G in the absence of a WiFi network. But older Kindles don't do all the other cool stuff. They are strictly e-book readers. Very good ones, but dedicated to a single purpose.

You can pretty much whatever you want to do on your new Kindle (not writing or editing beyond email length), but you can't store everything on the device. You can't download your whole Audible library to your Kindle or download lots of HD or other movies plus miscellaneous other content. One or two movies, max, a few audiobooks, plenty of regular books ... and other content as needed ... but not everything. It's not meant for that anymore than is an iPad, which has similar space limits. If you are in range of a WiFi connections, it's no problem. At home, it's a non-issue. When/if we are traveling, I will have to choose what I want to take with me.

The manual is poorly written and incomplete. As a professional tech writer, I will say straight out that they need to hire a professional and do it right. There's no excuse for not having at least the basic information available in the online manual. If the device was more intuitive, if the menus (such as they are) were logically arranged, they might not need it, but as it stands, they definitely do need a manual. Most things are very easy to do, but finding the menu that does it or the information on how to do it is NOT easy. Yes, Amazon has great customer and tech support. Real life peoople who really know the device and will stay on the phone with you until your battery runs out ... but who wants to have to call customer service to figure out how to delete a book or movie? Or for that matter, turn the unit on? It's stupidly simple to do all this stuff, assuming you can find the manual at all (I had to call for that, too), you will not find any listing under the words "delete," "remove", "turn on," etcetera. It's the first rule of tech writing to explain the basic stuff up front without having to search for it, and certainly should not need to call a hotline for this information. Just hire a competent tech writer. We work cheap, really. Give employment to someone who needs it!

I'm still figuring out where various functions are and how to make them work. They do work, but the figuring them out is anti-intuitive.

I bought the $199 version that has advertising. I'm not finding them intrusive. You can get rid of them, even after you've bought it, for $15 if they annoy you, but they only show up as an offers menu or on the splash screen before you open to the contents.

If you already are a member of the Amazon community, if you have Prime, already have a Kindle library, and/or an Audible account, it's the best deal in town.

I have yet to want something that Amazon doesn't have, usually cheaper than anyone else, so for me, it was ideal. Absolutely no reason for me to look elsewhere, though I did actually look at everything else before I bought this. If you want everything, spend some much bigger money and get a tablet. Go for broke and get an iPad. They're cool.

But remember: if your primary issue is READING, a tablet computer is not as good for reading as any reader is. Tablets are shinier and more reflective; they are useless in the sun. Any Kindle, is better for reading. Decide what you want to do. Many people have a tablet AND a Kindle (or other reader). One size may not "fit all" for you. The Fire is not a iPad, but it's pretty close and a heck of a lot less money.

If you want to read, watch a movie or TV show, listen to audio, do email, see what's happening on Twitter or Facebook -or any website, really -it will do that and more. You can transfer content directly to the Kindle USB cable from your computer or store it in Amazon's cloud, then move it to your Kindle. I've got three computers: laptop, desktop, and mini, so I am not going to worry about storing documents and photographs on my Kindle, though I may take them up on using some of their storage space. Photographs are another thing that can overload a small device fast. Be sensible and reasonable in your expectations.

It's a fine device, esecially for the price. It really does 95% of what Amazon promises, though not necessarily quite the way you expected. Plan on calling at least once or twice, if only because the menus and manual are inadequate. This problem is NOT unique to Kindle. I have some expensive cameras I still can't fully use because the manual is useless and they don't have friendly 24/7 service.

Thumbs up for quality, sound, video, speed (download and delete speeds are breathtakingly fast). It's also a nice looking device, compact and the accessories, finally, are affordable, even cheap. You will NOT have to pay $50 for a case this time. You can find nice ones for as little as $4 or $5 dollars. Buy the Quick Charger ($9.99). Worth it. Whether or not you'll need a stylus? I bought some inexpensive ones, but I never use them. The touch screen is sensitive (sometimes too sensitive) and easier with fingers than a stylus. If you have big hands, the stylus might be easier for you. It's a personal thing. Try it before you make a big investment. A cheap stylus will work just as well as an expensive one.

Fingerprints: not bad. I got lens wipes at Walmart. They are great for the Kindle, my camera, my computer AND my eyeglasses. Protective screen? There goes your HD and the sensitivity of the touchcreen. I can send you a bunch free; they came with other things and are pointless. Don't bother.

Absolutely do get a case for protection if nothing else. I recommend one that turns into an easel so you can watch movies or TV hands free and prefereably, also turns it on when you open it, turns it off when you close it. The on-off button is small and hard to find. My $8 case turns the whole unit on and off and is a standing easel. Problem fixed. It cost $7.99. The Kindle wakes instantly; a zero second startup.

The touchscreen is sensitive and I often find that I've started downloading when all I was trying to do was navigate. Amazon needs to address this. It's annoying. Getting information about a book or movie is tricky and to avoid the issue, I go to the Amazon store and look it up there. They need more and better menus.

And it's still the best deal in town!

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Kindle Fire PowerBolt Micro USB Car Charger

I purchased this charger because I wanted the option to charge my Kindle Fire at work. First, the Fire's battery life is amazing and I didn't actually need a charger, but the USB cord was great to transfer data using my laptop. The biggest complaint with this charger is the fact that if you push it all the way in the 12v receptacle, you are going to need something narrow to pry it out and probably some pliers unless you have an iron grip. I've seen other chargers that are designed to mount flush like this before but they usually have some type of d-ring to assist with removal. If you don't need to move the charger between vehicles then this charger would be fine.

Works nicely and the Usb cable connects my kindle fire to my computer files, 2 for 1makes it a winner

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Kensington makes excellent products. This Kensington Powerbolt car charger is good for charging the Apple iPad (use Apple's 30-pin cable) and Amazon Kindle Fire, and it comes with a micro USB cable for the Fire, but it costs $25.

The Kindle Fire requires an electrical charging current of 1.8 A (1800 mA), so only chargers meeting current output of more than 1.8 A can charge it in a reasonable amount of time. Many charges on the market have output current of 2.1A. Make sure you see this specification on the product page. Kensington, Skiva, and Scosche all make car chargers that meet the 2.1 A requirement but are much more expensive.

The least expensive is by AmazonBasics, under $10.

AmazonBasics 2-Port USB Car Charger with 2.1 Amp Output (Black)

You also need a micro USB cable:

AmazonBasics USB Cable 2.0 A Male to Micro B (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters), $6

This is the kind of cable (USB 2.0 on one end and micro USB on the other) that some reviewers were saying that Amazon should have included in the Fire box. It can be used for copying files from your computer to the Fire and vice versa.

This charger has two USB ports that share the 2100 mA output, so if you want fast charging, use just one port to charge the iPad, and leave the other not used by anything else.

This combo costs $16, about 64% the cost of the Kensignton, and the AmazonBasics has one additional USB port for less demanding devices. Physically, the Kensington is smaller and also well-made.

Read Best Reviews of Kindle Fire PowerBolt Micro USB Car Charger Here

Bought to use as a back-up during car trips. Worked great on a long trip last week. I like that it can be used so many ways.

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This is a "must have" item for the Kindle. The convenience of keeping the Kindle charged is way worth it.

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Kindle Fire Tablet

I bought both a Fire HD and a Gen 2. (as a present to my mother in law) My initial reviews were written after playing with them for like 20 minutes. I merged both reviews into one to really compare the two products. I'm still answering questions in the comments if you have any. And see the video that compares the two and gives a mini tour of the Kindle system.

My Background: I've had 4 android phones, I've had multiple e-readers and my latest 'touch' device is the Le Pan II Android tablet. I've worked on several iPads but never been compelled to spend the extra money for one myself. Wife has a first generation Fire.

The new Kindle Fire and Fire HD are the second generation color kindle e-reader/media player/tablet devices. The original Fire received a lot of well earned 4 star reviews. It was a great product but at the end of the day, it was a first generation product. It was no iPad slayer. The Fire HD raises the bar and raises it quite a lot. Jeff Bezos said they set out to make the best tablet available period and -in some regardsthey did that in spades. In other ways not so much. (more on this below in the closing thoughts)

HARDWARE:

BUILD QUALITY:

BOTH are top Notch. I didn't expect anything less from Amazon but they really are solid feeling.

FIRE HD lighter and while it is about the same thickness, the edges are rounded more like an iPad. sleeker look and more comfortable to hold.

FIRE GEN 2 is heavier and 'boxier' built to more fit existing covers I guess. It's heavier too.

SIZING:

The HD is just a bit taller but a decent bit wider than the Fire. --NOTE pay attention to accessories because THEY ARE NOT THE SAME SIZE. The cover from my wife's Gen 1 Kindle will fit the Gen 2 kindle (sorta) but NOT THE HD.

THE SCREEN:

FIRE HD SUMMED UP IN TWO WORDS Oh. My. The Le Pan, the iPads and the Gen 2 Fire all have great screens. The Fire HD takes them all out. I read somewhere there was polarizing a filter over the Fire HD screen. Polarizers reduce glare by only letting 'straight' light though not off angle bounced light. This makes an enormous difference to this display. The off angle viewing is probably the best I have seen in any flat screen. 6 stars.

FIRE GEN 2 Still a high quality screen. I'd same the same or better than any other high end tablet on the market.

NOTE A few people in the comments asked about the touch response. I do not have a problem except in the browser, it is sorta too sensitive. If you move your finger smoothly you can avoid the jitters.

THE WIFI.

FIRE HD I admit only the geeky probably care but the wifi rocks. I have a mimo router and one quick copy from my server and I was getting almost 30MB/s. To put that into perspective, that's about as fast and an external USB Hard drive can push data to your computer. (USB 3.0 will be faster but they are rare today) -The other thing is that I have a long skinny house and when I'm in the back bath, the Le Pan drops off. (ahem not that I surf on the potty or anything, just when I test it, you know.) With the Fire HD I can surf in the back yard.

FIRE GEN 2 still got 20MB/sec. But consider this... at that speed you can fill the entire memory in 5 minutes. Seems good enough to me.

THE SOUND:

FIRE HD ok I'm a bit of an audio snob. The sound is fantastic for being a tablet. Which is to say it's still only marginally acceptable. You can still buy a $15 pair of Koss KSC75 headphones and blow the speakers away BUT I will say this is the first device I would actually listen to music on. The rest I simply don't even bother. I suspect most people would call the sound excellent.

FIRE GEN 2 still have a very good sound. For the spoken word it would be very fine. For music it is lacking in my book.

SPEED: Both are quick with the HD being quicker. The Le Pan II is no slouch but I think the HD edges it out. Since the Le Pan apparent died this morning it's hard to compare. :-(

NOTE: IT DOES NOT COME WITH A WALL WORT CHARGER It comes with a micro USB cable that can be used with your existing USB wall worts. (ie your cell phone charger) You can buy a rapid charger for it or even plug it into your computer to charge. This is an odd choice from Amazon IMO.

NOTE 2: Unlike the Gen 1 Fire, (and contrary to what you might have read) the new Kindles DO NOT support flash. Rumor has it you can hack it to install Flash I have not tried yet. I'll try to run this down by this weekend.

NEW FEATURES (as promised)

EXCHANGE CALENDAR SYNC:

BOTH Exchange on the Fire (both) just rocks. I really like the calendar app. The contact manager can't keep up with the one on the iPad but it is sufficient. Ditto the email. But the setup was easy and it seemed fast. Love it.

SKYPE:

FIRE HD Spent way too long video skyping today. It worked as well as skype ever works. (long time skype users will understand that) yes it was glitchy but less than other platforms so no complaints. The sound really made a difference here.

Fire GEN 2 I don't think Skype came with it. I'll update with a definitive later.

HDMI

FIRE HD ONLY I promised someone in the comments to test this soon but I misplaced my HDMI cable. (drat) I guess I'll order a new one and update when it arrives.

BLUETOOTH

FIRE HD ONLY worked very smoothly pairing with LG tone. (great product btw) I'll be using that for Skype in the future.

FREETIME: BOTH This is a widely requested feature that allows multiple users (i.e. kids) to log in and have their own customized tablet experience. It also allows parents to limit the time kids spend on certain tasks, like watching movies, while giving them unlimited time to read. Parents have been asking for this forever. (Are you listening Apple?) I wasted 20 minutes looking for it before I looked it up and Amazon is not shipping it until next month. The existing parental controls are pretty decent actually.

CLOSING THOUGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

If you're new to Kindle make sure you understand what you are buying here. Kindles are made -and sold at a highly discounted priceto allow you to purchase media from Amazon. Don't think of this as an android tablet, because it really isn't. Yes Amazon uses the Android operating system but you'd never know they hide it so well. This device is made (basically) exclusively to read/watch/listen to media you buy from Amazon. In that regard this device is about as great as they could make it. HOWEVER. The Kindle Fire (first generation) was notorious for not playing well with many Android apps. If you're a app monster or looking for something to replace your laptop to allow you do work on the road and occasionally consume media, you need to look at an Android tablet or an iPad. But don't let that discourage you:

Via Amazon Prime, you get 25,000 streaming movies and T.V. shows you can watch 24/7 unlimited. We dropped Netflix because Prime Instant Video was so good. Amazon gives you a free month with the either Fire so you'll get to see the value before you buy. (it's a no brainer btw) There are also over a million free books available for the Kindle. I try to limit how many I buy/download but I have over 100 books on my previous Kindle that are waiting to be read, all but like 4 of them were free. Also if you own a Kindle and subscribe to Prime, you can borrow one book per month from the Paid section. And big name books too... all 7 Harry Potter books are up there. If you figure that is worth at least 10 bucks a month, you're getting $120 of content per year and Prime only costs (I think) $79. Or looked at another way, that's $240 in content in two years and the Fire HD is only $199.

If you're new to e-readers, owning one might just change your life. I had probably read 8 book length books in the last decade. (I'm a periodical junkie.) I now read at least one book per week. I was a big reader before but I'm reading more than I ever have in my life. Many studies show that people are reading as much as 3X more when they get an e-reader. If you're a parent looking to inspire a love of reading in a child, STOP. DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200. Buy them an e-reader.

SO THE BIG QUESTION, WHICH ONE DO I BUY?

If you're on a VERY tight budget the Fire Gen 2 is a great product at a great price point. Coupled with Prime, you have access to mountains of cheap content.

HOWEVER. When you look at what you get for the small difference in cost, the Fire HD blows it away... You get a better screen, better sound, bluetooth, it's faster, thinner and lighter than the Fire. You also get double the memory, better wifi and over 2 hours more battery life. All for $40. I guess Amazon wants to make color Kindles as affordable as possible but I don't even know why they made the small one. I'm not sorry I bought it but all things considered, I would buy two big ones if I had it to do over.

I'll be taking questions in the comments for the next week or maybe more, so feel free to ask.

Hope this was helpful.

I purchased the Kindle Fire ten months ago for my daughter. Three weeks after she got it, it was stolen. Amazon worked with our police department to find the person who had taken it. Amazon first put a hold on the person's account and shut down the Kindle Fire so it wouldn't work. Then, once Amazon had a subpoena, Amazon gave the police all the information the thief had registered to my daughter's Kindle Fire and the police were able to recover it and get it back to us. Since that time, we have purchased an additional Kindle Fire and, just recently, a Kindle Fire HD. We use them like iPads at a fraction of the cost and the number of free books and apps available is unmatched by their competitors. Our oldest Kindle Fire (ten months old) just stopped charging and I contacted Amazon via Live Chat. Immediately, they said they would send me a replacement Kindle Fire and would also email me a printing label for free shipping to return the defective one. Their customer service is incredible! The Kindle Fire itself is amazing. The internet is fast; connects perfectly to all wi-fi; the graphics are clear and sharp; the books and apps offered are endless. My teenager listens to Pandora on it constantly. I'm always reading. My husband checks the sports scores. My young sons are always playing the game apps. We have them protected in KlearKase protectors and have found them to be well-made, quality devices. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Kindle Fire to anyone of my friends and family.

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I just received my kindle fire today. I had a hard time deciding between the HD, this, and the paperwhite. I decided on this one, because I really thought I'd like the immersion reading. I have an audible account and I've been reading along to the audiobooks. It's amazing how fast I can get through the books (at 3x speed) and I really retain the info. The immersion reading is super-easy to use and definitely worth upgrading to this. The whole point of the kindle is to read more, and this new feature makes it possible to read 2 or 3 times as many books in the same amount of time. I'm an average-speed reader and was able to read 4 books (with the help of the audiobook reading pace) in the last 30 days and one was the 800+ page Stephen king, "11/22/63".

I also tested out the text to speech. It's a lady's voice and much, much, easier to understand than the text to speech on my kindle keyboard. It also has many speed options and I think it reads faster than my kindle keyboard version. I am very, very pleased with it.

It is much more responsive than the previous kindle fire I'm upgrading from.

If you are worried about the free offers, don't be. I DETEST commercials and advertising so much, I quit reading magazines and watching television. The offers only show on the startup, no big deal. I already took advantage of a $5.00 credit for amazon video. I was able to rent two movies and it only cost me 89 cents, when it was said and done, and I was planning on renting Hunger Games tonight, anyway. So, so far, I don't mind the offers at all.

My favorite feature is the immersion reading and the text-to-speech improvements. I also downloaded all the free kindle books with the free audiobooks for the immersion experience. These are books I always wanted to read,but never had the discipline to just read them. Reading and listening to those books are worth the price of this new gadget, IMO.

Way to go, Amazon, for a great product and a great price!

P.S.

I have an iPad, and the last time I went on vacation, I left it at home and brought only my fire and kindle keyboard. I didn't miss my iPad at all and this new gen fire is even better. Seriously, it's that good.

Read Best Reviews of Kindle Fire Tablet Here

My 7 year old son has the 1st gen Kindle Fire, and we've been very happy with it. He mostly plays games on it now, but we plan to purchase more movies and books for it in the future. My 5 year old wanted one too, so we just purchased the 2nd gen Kindle Fire for her. She had been saving her allowance and birthday money this whole year for it. We purchased one the day they were announced!

We've had it now for 3 days... and while it's still the same great product, we were disappointed to find (after receiving the device) that the 2nd generation Fire comes WITHOUT a wall charger (which the first gen Fire had) and has a whole mess of ads loaded onto it. My 5 year old can't read very well yet she couldn't figure out how to get rid of the ads, and was constantly yelling for me to come help her. Also, some of the ads featured more mature themes (ads for sexy prime time tv shows, for example) that I would not want to expose my young child to.

To purchase the wall charger, it cost us an extra $20, and it cost us $15 to have the ads turned off. So now we're up to $194 for the Kindle Fire that we thought we were getting for $159, plus a whole bunch of time wasted trying to figure out how to turn off the ads, and waiting for the wall charger to arrive.

I am normally a HUGE Amazon fan, but this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Would have given the device 4-5 stars on its own, but with the extra expenses and hassle, I have to take it down a couple stars.

***Update Oct 10, 2012*** Interesting that many folks have taken my review as an opportunity to comment on my parenting skills. While I'm sure folks are "well intentioned" (sarcasm), I don't recall asking for parenting advice. Many have said it's ridiculous to buy an eReader for a child who can't read. Yet the FIRE is marketed as a competitor to a tablet device, not an eReader. The Fire does everything the iPad can do (except take pictures and videos). My children prefer to read books on paper. Instead, they use the Fire almost exclusively as a gaming device as there are hundreds of free (or super cheap) game apps for kids including educational apps. They also listen to music and watch videos on it. I looked at it as a replacement for my daughter's leapster (which she is aging out of) and as an alternative to a portable DVD player and/or iPod. Several devices in one. As we are getting ready to take the kids on a cross-country trip, I will be thrilled not to have to lug around several devices that come with DVDs and expensive game cartridges that are easily lost. We will pack one device. Done.

***Update Oct 22, 2012*** Sorry, me again. First, wanted to THANK those who offered support and told me to ignore the negative nellies who suggested I was an indulgent parent raising the spoiled rotten brats of the future. Secondly, wanted to respond to some questions I've repeatedly received. The ads appear primarily on the lock screen. When unlocked, they disappear. For adult users who are used to dealing with ads in free apps, this might be something you'd be willing to contend with to save a few bucks. But this was a confusing concept for my 5 year old and I repeat that the ads I saw were too mature for a young audience. Even after I paid the $15 to have the ads removed, my daughter's Kindle still received an ad to "Vote for Obama". It appears as a banner at the top of every screen and I have not been able to get rid of it. I am extremely irritated with this, as it seems some ads will get thru regardless.

Others have commented that it's cheap to buy a wall charger, and to quit complaining about it. OK, I see your point but if it's so cheap, then Amazon should provide it. I find it absolutely unacceptable that Amazon would not provide a wall charger. I realize Amazon loses money on the device, but they do so anticipating they will more than make up for that loss in profit from the apps, books, and movie purchases. As far as I can tell, Amazon doesn't seem to be hurting. So come on, Amazon, throw in the darned wall charger already!!

Finally, since I purchased this item on Day One of its release, I see that Amazon has updated its product description so it's more obvious as to what the device does and doesn't come with. Additionally, the product title now includes the words "with special offers" (IMHO, a deceptive way of saying it comes loaded up with ads) But I'm glad Amazon added it now people can be more informed than I was about what they are getting themselves into.

I'm an Amazon Prime member so have invested pretty heavily in Amazon. If I weren't a Prime member, I would have considered other brands over Amazon's Kindle.

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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.

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Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Tablet

Let me start out by saying that I am new to the tablet world and have had no experience using any tablets prior to this purchase. That being said, I spent a great deal of time fishing around through reviews and specs of what seemed like countless tablets for months. The obvious cliche conclusion led to all fingers pointing at some variation of an iPad, yet for me, I do not see much sense in purchasing a tablet (regardless of brand) for around the same price as a cheap yet descent laptop that will have more potential.

Enter the Kindle Fire HD.

I will spare you the story on my process of how I ended up choosing a Fire HD and get right to what you all want to know: my thoughts and experience thus far with the product.

Picture: (10/10)

I will start with this since obviously that was the first thing i noticed. In a word, incredible. Now its not "eye popping" or anything out of this world, but i can honestly say it exceeded my expectations and i was (and continue to be) impressed by this piece of hardware's capabilities. I tested out just a few minutes of TV shows, trailers, videos, and films from Prime Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Flixster, and Youtube (through the web browser since an app is currently unavailable) and everything looks as it should (and beautiful to boot)! Books come out crisp as well (both in text and picture) and the same goes for basic website visuals, apps, and games. Overall I am very impressed.

Sound: (10/10)

This is probably where i was most impressed. I have seen some of the reviews on here that are 3 stars or less putting down the audio or claiming they don't hear the big deal. Not to be a jerk or anything but i recommend those people check in at an ear clinic and have their hearing tested. I was literally amazed at how I was hearing sounds from various distances and angles. From up close it felt like i was hearing a high quality home theater system and not just for one flick but everything. From website audio to music, Netflix to Audiobooks, this tablet sounds great!

Book/Reading Features: (10/10)

At first this was not my primary reason for purchasing a Fire HD, but after toying around with a few things, I am truly impressed at how well Amazon has integrated the ability to find, purchase, read, and even listen to literature. The lending library for Prime users is a nice added touch allowing you to borrow from a rather extensive list of books. Not to mention many timeless classics are available for free (such as Dracula, Gulliver's Travels, Little Women, The Iliad, The Jungle Book and many more) and of those titles, many come with free audio! If you do not feel like spending the money on audio (or if your book has none available) the text-to-speech feature is surprisingly well done with minimal error. With all this being said, I can honestly say that I am excited to start reading again.

Web Browsing: (8/10)

The only reason I do not give this a 10 is because web browsing (with what is given out of the box) lacks Flash support which limits the capabilities. However, with a bit of research I was able to find forum discussions on how Fire HD users were able to work around this by downloading an app called ES File Explorer and then a separate browser called Dolphin that gives you Flash capabilities, so this is an easy fix that even a monkey could figure out how to do as long as they are patient. Though don't get me wrong, Silk is fast and beautiful and i use it for the majority of my web surfing, but occasionally Flash is needed. As I am sure you have read by now in other reviews, the fact that the Fire HD does not automatically come with Flash support is not Amazon's fault yet rather Adobe for pulling he plug on their involvement with tablets. Again, as long as your network is put together well, browsing the web is very fast and up to par with dare I say some computers.

App Availability: (8/10)

To me, this is the only area where the Fire HD lacks. I would rate lower here but I am trusting that over time and after updates, the lineup will have grown. Once more, with a bit of research you can find discussions on how to "sideload" apps from your computer and other devices, but that could be a bit too advanced for the average user. Though for what it is worth, the selection it does currently come with is top notch. Just to name a few, some important missing apps include: YouTube, Dropbox, and SiriusXM. Still, as far as I am concerned, this certainly is not a deal breaker and I am sure that as things progress access to these will become available.

Look/Feel: (10/10)

The 8.9" model that I own and am currently reviewing was a lot lighter than I expected and it is true what they say ( it is just right to fit in one hand). Out of the box/pre-case the Fire HD looks great and is very thin, sleek, and dare I say...sexy? The only minor gripe I would have (that I noticed other reviewers mentioned) is the volume and power buttons are sometimes hard to find and do not always register, but after a while you get use to it. Aside from that, I love how it appears and functions.

Overall: (56/60)

There are a few things that by now you may know, such as how out of the box the Fire HD does not come with a wall charger. I know that is a bummer but if you don't already have one roaming around your house from a smartphone or if you cannot tolerate simply charging from your computer, Amazon sells them at a fairly reasonable price.

Bottom line? I have purchased over 500 items on Amazon and I rarely feel the need to review a product, but I genuinely felt my voice needed to be heard ( or read rather) with the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. I strongly recommend purchasing this product and if you have any questions, feel free to comment and hopefully either me or someone else can assist you!

P.S. This took me forever to type on the Fire HD but it was good practice and hopefully worth it!

I would highly recommend a screen protector and a case

Originally published in November 2012, Updated January 19, 2013 after using this Fire for several months...

As there appears to be mixed reviews of the 8.9' Fires ones with 4G access and those without to clarify, this review is for the 8.9" tablet with the 4G connectivity option.

To get the iPad comparison out of the way, I put this tablet side-by-side to my iPad 2 I use for work. Downloads were slightly faster and the video screen resolution and the colors were more vibrant on the Fire vs. the iPad 2.

Screen Display / Video Playback:

With the larger HD screen, if playing video is important to you this is the version of the Fire to get as the screen display is fairly impressive with sharp and crisp colors. The display on this HD Fire was one heck of a lot better in terms of sharpness than last year's model and even this year's smaller HD model.

Amazon also added a cool feature on this one with the HDMI micro connection port. I have an HDMI micro plug and was able to hook this up to the big screen to watch an episode of the science fiction series Defying Gravity. It played back great smoothly with no problems.

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 8.9" version of the Fire sitting next to the "smaller" HD 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 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 still slow but faster than the other devices (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 have a noticeable difference in the other devices as this one was slightly faster but for a casual surfer it is not noticeable nor does it hang.

Email Setup:

Email setup was very easy with the included email app for my main Google account it took about a minute to input my email address and password information and I was good to go: sending and receiving emails was a snap, and when I sent a test message with pictures they displayed crisply. I will tell you I primarily us 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 for daily use, and it was easy to use actually better due to the larger screen size with this version of the Fire. 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!

Game Play:

I do play a lot of games, but they aren't the heavy action / interactive games many of the kids play today. For my test, I tried out several rounds of Words with Friends and a Majong derivative. The display was crisp and the tablet was very responsive as it interacted over the WiFi network of my home to the game server.

Sound / Music Playback

Different than last year's model and the $159 this year's model, the two speakers are located in the back 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. However, the sound is not very crisp (the $159 Fire sounds better to me) as the sound is going away from you with the speakers being in the back. With a cover on the Fire to protect it, that can be a problem. It's going to take a little bit of getting used to having the volume controls at the top of the device.

Reading Books:

Reading a book was enjoyable and easy on the eyes with the larger screen: I appreciate being able to changing the default font to something else in addition to increasing the font size so I don't have to wear my glasses. 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.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth setup was very easy. I tested this with audio in my car as well as an external keyboard. From a music standpoint, there were no delays or skips with the connection, and it paired up in about 30 seconds; I hooked up a Motorola Bluetooth keyboard and started banging away with several emails. Just make sure you give it a device name so you can recognize it and be recognized.

Cellular Connectivity (This Section Updated 1/19/2013):

The 4G connection is a lot like how I have heard one of my friends describe his relationship with a girlfriend: when things are good, they are real good and when they are bad, they absolutely suck.

The same can be true for the 4G connection it can be real fast when it wants to be fast, and you can be dead in the water in the strangest places. For example, I can be out in the middle of the country and see a cell tower on the highway / frontage road, and the cell service is screaming fast and very convenient. On the other hand, I can be in downtown Houston, the display says I have full cellular strength, and it just won't work no Internet, no email, no anything.

In other words, I have a love-hate relationship with it.

Concerning the introductory data plan the one where you pay a one-time fee of $50 for 250 megabytes of data per month for 12 months, I have mixed emotions about it, also. I am not a heavy user of email or web surfing, I dislike video chat, and I don't download big files all of the time, so I initially thought the 250 meg per month limit would more than suit my needs.

I was wrong.

Why was I wrong? It's all of the apps loaded on your Fire that auto-magically turn themselves on that constantly check the Internet for updates, apps like Accuweather and The Weather Channel, a few news apps, and Words With Friends. The Weather Channel app had to be the worst: despite manually shutting it down, it would miraculously come back on and download maps, constantly check for updates and refresh said maps so frequently it chewed right through the month's allotment in a day and a half.

No kidding. And it's not a very good app, either, in comparison to Acccuweather so I deleted it.

Bottom line is you need to watch the data throughput carefully, or you will go over. I upgraded to the 3 gig per month plan, which is the same plan I have with my work iPad and seems to be enough. That's $30 per month, so I wasted the $49.99 on the 250 meg per month plan (AT&T wouldn't give me a refund even though I upgraded).

Affordability vs. an iPad

Dollarwise, this version of the Fire whips the iPad when you stack up the annual cost of connectivity, 64Gb of memory, and the cellular (or not) models of the iPad. The iPad's screen is slightly larger, but when I put it up against each other for the same things (web page, game app) I really couldn't tell that much of a difference.

Overall, if you are looking for a larger tablet this one wins hands down. With the full-features included with this model especially the 4G connection I believe this will be my go-to device, and I will no longer be carrying my e-Ink Kindle in addition to my iPad every day.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Tablet Now

I wasn't really in the market for another tablet, but my girlfriend ended up getting one for me so she got me on this one. I would like to say that this tablet reminds me of the first Motorola Droid smartphone that came out several years back. The phone jam packed a ton of bells & whistles into its hardware and software to give a lot of bang for your buck. This is what it feels like amazon has done with the Kindle Fire 8.9. They have put a lot of advanced hardware and innovative software, so for the average user, specially someone who absorbs a lot of media, you get a lot for the price. But just because you get a lot for the price, doesn't mean it is without its flaws. This is an updated version of my likes and dislikes, (my original analysis was a bit rushed, this is more detailed):

LIKES

Build Quality

I like the build of this product, it has good material design and durability. It feels nice in your hands and comfortable to hold with easy access to buttons. Since this is only 8.9" and not 10 or 11 inches, it is easier to grasp and hold in one hand with an overall good aesthetic look and feel to it.

Speakers

I have to say, the more I listen to it, the more I like the sound. The speakers are definitely a step up from the norm and probably one of its best features. They produce a full, rich, and very vibrant sound you can experience music and movies the way they were meant to be experienced. It is not a home theatre experience, but as close as one can get with a small device like this.

Screen

The display is very nice. I'm not sure if it compares with the clarity of Super Amoled or Retina screens, but it comes close. High screen resolution is not special to the Kindle, lots of tablets now have high resolution screens, some higher. What this screen has that other tablets don't is the anti-glare, which works well under sunlight and highly lit places, it's not something that seems advantageous until you work with a screen that doesn't have this.

Internet

Kindle's Wi-fi and Silk Browser make internet browsing fast. I did a comparison with a Samsung and Apple tablet, and noticed that the surfing was faster, it wasn't a huge difference but it was noticeable. Streaming audio and video had a bigger and more noticeable difference, with the Kindle being very smooth, with fewer lags and dropped connections. This is key for me, I hate streaming content with pauses and breaks in loading, there is less of that in the Fire.

Reading Experience

In my opinion, this is Fire HD's best feature, delivering a better reading experience than any tablet right now. This is no surprise as books are Amazon's claim to fame and where they excel and have always excelled. I don't know if you remember, but before Amazon was Amazon, they were the first online retailer for books. Before there was an iPad, there was the kindle. They have always been at the forefront of the book buying and reading experience, now especially digital books. I think I remember reading that the Kindle was the main reason Borders Bookstore went out of business, Borders said they just couldn't keep up with or match Amazon's delivery system.

Now with this Fire HD, they offer even more advancements. With its X-ray for books, its 'reading view' that takes away messy images on a site leaving only text, `immersive' reading that lets you play an audio book while reading, whispersync technology, and better optimization of text, other devices can't match. Granted it doesn't compare to digital ink like on the original Kindle for me did the best to mimic actual reading, but as far as tablets goes its better than what is out there. If you are getting a tablet primarily for reading, this is gonna be a good choice.

Amazon Universe

I have a love hate relationship with Amazon's Universe of services. I don't like how even though the Kindle HD uses Android, it is somewhat restricted. Also, they don't have as many apps as google or apple. But taking everything else into account, movies, books, music, prime lending library, prime movies, amazon is better. The big drawback is you have to own a kindle to fully enjoy their universe, which means if you own a kindle, you are limited from using other company's universe.

Apps and other features

All the apps work fine, they start and stop as they should, nothing to criticize or brag about. The touch screen is smooth and responds good, though nothing like iPad...hate to say it but iPad thumps everyone on that, their touch and scrolling is very fluid and just feels right. I don't have kids so I can't really comment on the parental controls but from other reviews seems like something to have if you have kids. Can access email and everything fine.

DISLIKES

When it comes to bringing together the right mix of original and developing technology in a tablet, like the first Droid phone, Amazon did an admirable job. It merged a mix that most of us will enjoy and find useful. Although Amazon has put original elements that make this tablet worthy to compete in the tablet world, at the same time, they've done some things that make you question what they're doing.

Ads

This is the most disliked innovation to hit electronics since the Windows phone (and I don't mean the Windows 7 phone, I mean its predecessor, which was so disastrous nobody heard about its release and was pulled from shelves within two weeks). Microsoft was smart enough to pull its mistake, Amazon seems to continue to run with theirs.

No Charger

As you have read in other reviews, this product does not come with a standard charger. I don't like that other reviewers excuse this by claiming it makes the product cheaper. Chargers are not expensive to produce so I don't think it makes the product cheaper, it gives Amazon more opportunity to recover the Kindle cost by charging $20+ dollars for an accessory that probably only costs a few dollars to make. Not sure how accurate this is, it's my own decision I've reached as it doesn't make sense not to include a standard charger adapter because for most people including myself, this is not a pc companion, rather a pc replacement. Without a real charger, it becomes a companion. Yes, you can buy one, but why make us do that.

Camera

The Kindle Fire 8.9 only has a front facing camera. It is useful for video chatting, but not for taking pictures. If I want to take a picture of something outside myself, I have to point the screen in that direction, which means I can't see what I am taking a picture of or have easy access to the camera buttons, doesn't make sense.

This is some of the qualms I have, nothing revolting.

All in all, do I like this Kindle HD? Yes. Will I keep it? Probably. Do I think it is the greatest tablet in the world? In some respects, yes, in others no. Should you buy it? The answer is this is not an all-in-one, do everything machine that the likes of iPad claim to be. With this it seems like amazon focused on some key things, like watching movies, listening to music, surfing the internet, and reading books. The things they concentrated on, they made sure to go full force to give users the best experience they could. They are things that most of us average users are going to use a tablet for...email, streaming, social media, video, music, for what amazon focused on with this product like I said they did admirably.

Read Best Reviews of Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Tablet Here

(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)We originally bought this for our daughter to use so my wife can get her iPad back.

Let's start with the comparison...

Size (and weight) matter This larger version of the Kindle Fire is smaller, thinner, and a quarter pound lighter than the iPad 3. Of course that means the screen is a bit smaller too, less than 1". However, the Kindle screen is breathtakingly clear and the weight difference, while it sounds small when you type it into a review or read it as you are now, is really noticeable after just a few minutes of holding the device with one hand while using it.

Price Another tiny difference is that the Fire is a couple hundred dollars less than a similarly configured iPad.

About the Ads supported version We never notice them. They are only on the lock screen.

Display We like the Kindle display better than the iPad. There, I've said it and hope I won't have to go into hiding. It is clear and bright without making everything look like a comic book and shows up well in sunlight without having to turn the display way up (which means the battery won't drain quickly).

Usability I'm liking the Kindle interface more and more, compared to the iPad or "Native" android tablets. The Kindle prominently displays apps used most recently and the ones I just installed in a side scrolling "Carousel". Other apps are just a few taps away. That's great for me and greater still for my young daughter (see FreeTime, below) since there's no hunting for the things I'm likely to want the most. The iPhone and other Androids I've seen do it the other way around.

First use First use was very straightforward. I liked that it knew my name without me having to tell it. First thing it did, after greeting me (by name) was ask for my WiFi password. After that it took a few minutes to download updates. When I clicked on the "Apps" menu it already had listed every Android app I bought from Amazon. Same goes for videos, music, and books. I realize iPad does something similar. However, having used both, I feel the Kindle is easier.

On the business side I can access my email accounts, including those in an Exchange server, with no problems. Attachments, including .PDF files, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets can all be read with no problems.

Back to the fun stuff, YouTube, Netflix, and SmugMug videos stream flawlessly. Pandora provides music without a hitch. It connects to Bluetooth devices quickly and easily.

The Camera The front facing camera, designed for video conferencing, provides a clear image while the screen provides a vivid image of the person at the other end. We ran some side-by-side tests with our iPad 3 and the Fire always performed better. There is no rear-facing camera for taking snapshots and I figure that's what my iPhone is for.

FreeTime We love it!!! This allows us to limit the app's and sites accessible to our daughter. For us it's as much to keep her from getting into confusing places that interrupt her activities and keeping her from things we don't want her to see. This is so much nicer than handing her my iPad or Samsung tablet and dealing with the frequent frustrations from her stumbling into an application she doesn't understand. OK, these are not so much child friendly as parent friendly but everybody wins in the end.

The Missing Charger One difference that could be important to some is that the Kindle doesn't come with a charger. It does include a cable that you can use with any USB charger or computer you may have on hand. However, if you don't have one of those then you will want to order a charger along with this.

Remember at the start of this I said we originally bought the Fire so my wife can get her iPad back? After using the Fire my wife prefers it and leaves the iPad to our daughter. The only problem is I need to buy a second Kindle Fire because now I want one too.

FIRST THING TO BUY after you get your Kindle: Best 100 Kindle Fire HD Apps (Updated With Top Apps for the Kindle Fire HD!). It's a bargain at $0.99 (Free to borrow if you're a Prime member). You can zip through, read descriptions for the mostly free app's, click on the ones that interest you, and have them installed right away.

A NICE CASE: A little while ago I got an Innovic Multi Functional Handmade Leather Zip Bag for iPad 2 and 3 16gb, 32gb, 64gb edition. Turns out even though it's made for an iPad it fits the 8.9" Fire HD pretty well. (I've added a video showing how well it works with this Kindle along with my review for that case) It may not be a perfect solution but given the limited options for cases right now, especially for the price (originally $11, it has as of this writing almost doubled since I originally added this to my review and is still a good value), it isn't a bad temporary choice. (I had a chance to try the Marware Revolve Case for Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Black and will be sticking with this one.)

Want Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Tablet Discount?

My wife purchased the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9" for me and have to say it is definitely one of the more nifty devices, with lots of cool features and options. Before I talk about them, I'd like to say that I enjoy tech gadgets and I usually get my hands on the latest and greatest ones. Although, I don't buy everything that comes out, I do play around and keep myself up-to-date with what is out there. Also, I don't hook myself into a particular manufacturer. If a product is good, I will purchase, use, and tell people about it. If something better comes out, then I move on. This review will cover the Kindle HD as well as my experiences with other devices.

Display

This tablet has a very nice and fresh looking display. The images are super sharp and everything looks crystal clear. It is easy to view on off angles, which is useful when me and my friends are viewing the screen at the same time or for using the device in presentations and meetings. The anti-glare feature is a nice touch, I can view it in direct sunlight without a huge loss in clarity. Granted, it's not as great as in dim light or shade, but it does the job.

Audio

The audio was a huge selling point for me. Most speakers on laptop, netbook, and other portable devices like tablets and smartphones produce poor quality sound. You always have to plug in external headphones to really enjoy music and movies. That issue doesn't exist with the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" These speakers get loud, and with Dolby technology, produce an enjoyable experience. Again, this can come handy when you are listening/viewing the device with multiple people.

Wifi/4G

I really like the Kindle Fire HD's dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi. It not only does a better job of streaming HD content, but it allows you to connect to more types of signals. WiFi routers vary, some are old and outdated, while others are newer and function better working on different bandwidths and frequencies. Kindle can connect to all the different varieties. This is very handy if you travel a lot like me and need the ability to connect to whichever random connections you can find in the moment.

Bluetooth

Nice, handy feature, I don't know why more devices don't have them. I can connect to my Bluetooth wireless headphones and walk around the house without being tied to the device. Also, I can have the Kindle connected to my other Bluetooth devices without having to be next to them. Not a deal breaker, but a nice feature.

Silk Browser

Silk is a neat innovation in internet surfing. It predicts what links on a site you will navigate to, and downloads those pages b/f you click on the link. This increases the load speed of webpages. The concept is interesting, and it proves useful when you've lost internet connection, because if the pages were downloaded prior to you losing the connection, you can still navigate to them.

Ads

This is the part of the Kindle HD I dislike; the whole ad concept is unwise. Not only does it come off unprofessional, it adds an unnecessary decision/step in the purchase process. The price difference is not much, so Amazon should either price the device higher or just chalk up the cost. As a buyer, if ads are an issue, since your spending $300 $500 on a device anyway, spend a little more so you don't have to deal with it...unless of course you like to be kept up-to-date with ads.

Outside of the ads, this is a fantastic media machine. With the display, speakers, dual core processor, and graphics card, it is the good for gaming, music, movies, and video. Add to it the Silk browser and the dual band, dual antenna Wi-Fi, it also becomes good for internet browsing, allowing for better streaming of those games, music, movies, and video.

Vs iPad 3

The main advantages iPad has over Kindle HD 8.9" are that iPad's Retina display gives its screen a higher resolution, but not by much. iPad 3 has both a front and rear camera, while the Kindle HD has only the front facing camera. Amazon says the front facing camera is HD, but I'm not sure what that means. The iPad has GPS which the Kindle HD lacks. The clear advantage for Apple is the number of apps. Apple phones and tablets have the most apps of any competitor.

On the other hand, the Kindle HD 8.9 is a bit thinner, lighter, and smaller than the Apple counter part. iPad has only a single mono speaker, while as mentioned, Kindle has the Dolby stereo speakers. Kindle's screen is a 16x9 aspect ratio (like Movie and HDTV screens), while the iPad is 4x3. What this means is that movies will display larger on the Kindle, using the entire screen whereas iPad will display smaller, leaving bars along the top and bottom.

For most people, the key distinction between iPad 3 and Kindle HD 8.9" is the price. The Kindle HD is considerably cheaper, with the WiFi model costing $200 less than iPad 3's comparable model, and the 4G LTE costing as much as $230 less than iPad 3's 4G LTE (even the iPad 2 and iPad mini are more expensive than the new Kindle). Take into consideration the data plan, and you are saving another $150 in the first year with Kindle HD.

Another disadvantage of the iPad is that you get the deliciously awkward pleasure of joining a cult that brainwashes you into thinking buying Apple makes you different, better, while offering an advanced product; when in reality they are like the million other Apple users, spending twice as much for a device that is rarely up to speed with current technology.

Falling behind in technology is one of the main reasons I've strayed from Apple over the few years. The original iPod and iPhone were true innovations. You might even say the iPad was an innovation, even though it was simply an oversized iPhone, even using the same operating system. To make their products work smooth, Apple's uses highly specialized components in their products. This makes it difficult for their products to evolve as quickly. The initial iPhone was one of the last phones to make the switch to 3G. And even though 4G has existed for nearly 2 years, iPhone made the jump only a few months ago. Apple's prized Siri is just an enhanced version of Google's voice activated search, which came out 2 years prior to Siri. Now Apple is playing catch up with the iPad mini and Amazons already on its second generation 7" tablet.

Vs Google Nexus 10

Before starting this comparison, I would like to point out a couple things. One, evaluating the Kindle Fire against the Nexus is more an apple's to apples comparison as they are both use the Android operating system. The Nexus is a 10" tablet (hence the name), while this review is for the 8.9" Kindle HD. Both companies have a 7" counterpart with the Kindle HD 7" and Nexus 7, though the comparison here is strictly between Kindle HD 8.9" and Nexus 10.

It is also important to note that Google is the main reason anyone is able to compete with Apple phones and tablets right now. They are the creators of the Android operating system that are used in majority of non-apple devices. Tablets like Amazon's Kindle Fire and Samsung's Galaxy Tab really owe it to Google's open source Android operating system for their ability to participate in the tablet market.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's begin the comparison. Both Kindle HD 8.9" and Nexus 10 run version 4 of Android. However, Nexus runs the updated 4.2 Jellybean, while Kindle Fire HD runs the 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (the names are silly, but they are memorable). It is important to note, the version in Amazon's tablet is heavily customized. The customization has its advantage and disadvantages. The advantage is Amazon can offer things such as parental controls that can limit what your kids can do and for how long. The disadvantage is there are restrictions on certain features like Google's Play store.

As mentioned, Kindle HD is 8.9", the Nexus is bigger coming in at 10." Both have a front-facing camera but only the Nexus 10 has a rear one, which is 5 megapixels. Both have HD displays with Gorilla Glass and micro USB & HDMI connectors for HD video output. Google's display is higher resolution (even higher than iPad's retina), while Amazon's display has the polarizing filter and anti-glare technology. Both Fire and Nexus offer stereo speakers, but only Amazon offers Dolby sound.

As far as hardware, both boast a dual core processor, though Nexus is a little faster at 1.7Ghz against Fire HD's 1.5 Ghz. On the other hand, Fire HD has more storage capacity starting at 32GB and going up to 64GB, whereas the Nexus starts at 16GB and goes up to only 32 GB. Kindle HD 8.9 comes in both a Wi-Fi and 4G LTE version, Nexus 10 comes in only a Wi-Fi version. Kindle has the dual antenna and dual frequency Wi-Fi, I believe the Nexus comes in only dual frequency, not dual antenna.

The Nexus 10 excels in that it has the NFC chip for device-to-device communication, GPS, and it is fully integrated out of the box with Google services like Maps, Drive, and Gmail. As mentioned, Amazon's modified Android places restrictions on some of these services. Also, since Google makes Android, it is highly likely that updates to the Android operating system will likely be released to Nexus devices before Kindle Fire devices.

As it relates to price, like with iPad 3, Kindle Fire HD has the clear advantage. The Nexus starts at $399 while the Amazon 8.9" starts at $299. The next model up for Nexus is the 32 GB version which costs $499. At that price, you can get the Kindle not only at 32GB, but with 4G LTE. As far as price, Kindle has everyone beat.

Conclusion

These are the major players in the world of tablets today. There are other manufactures like Samsung and Acer, however, they don't offer an extensive ecosystem of apps, media, and services like Google, Apple, and Amazon. Also, as stated earlier, most tablets use Android's operating system, so aside from hardware size and features, they are going to offer an experience similar to the Nexus.

The question that beckons is which one to buy? If you really like one company's ecosystem of services, the answer becomes less difficult get that company's device. That is, if you like Amazon's Whispersync technology, Silk browser, Xray for books and are a Prime junkie, then go with Kindle Fire HD. If you are a fan of Google Play and their services, consider the Nexus. If you are diehard Apple, well, I don't have to say what your going to go with...though if you go with Apple, do it and be quiet. Don't be like the masses of Apple customers who feel the need to run around advertising to the world about how they own Apple. Ranting and raving doesn't make you cool, it just shows how childish and insecure your need for validation is. Although, you might think you are cool, we all laugh and talk behind your back.

On the flipside, if you are not overly committed to any company's services and are looking for a good overall tablet for a good price, then the clear winner is the Kindle Fire HD 8.9". Given the hardware specs, its focus on media, internet, and reading, and the price point, it is hands down the best value. In my opinion it is the most advanced, feature rich device for the price.

I love technology and enjoy following its progression, I've really enjoyed sharing my thoughts about this so I hope you've found it helpful.

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