Do you know Amazon sells an Android tablet? Unless you are someone
who keeps an eye on the world of technology, probably not. This is
because Amazon, which launched its first tablet Kindle Fire in 2011,
wasn't selling anything other than Kindle -- aka the world's most
popular e-book reader -- in India until last month.
There
is a reason for that. Amazon's Android tablets are a bit different.
They are not like Samsung's Galaxy Tab or Google's Nexus tablets. The
focus of the Kindle Fire tablets - there are two at the moment - is not
Android or even the usual tablet experience. The focus is on how these
tablets can connect to the content ecosystem Amazon has and help a user
get the book, movie or song that he wants and when he wants.
Without
the Amazon's content store, Kindle Fire tablets are virtually useless.
So, Amazon put in place an ecosystem (sort of, we will detail it in the
following paragraph) in India and started selling the Fire in the last
week of June.
Now that they are here, the
question is should you buy them? We have been using Kindle Fire HD 8.9,
the flagship Amazon tablet for the last few weeks. To cut a long story
short, we can tell you that this is not a tablet for everyone. But for
some, this could be a very good device to carry around.
Simple to use, designed for Amazon
Before we talk about who should buy Kindle Fire and who shouldn't, lets take a look at Fire HD 8.9.
As
the model name suggests, this tablet has a screen size of 8.9 inches
and sports a FullHD resolution (1200 x 1920 pixels). In terms of screen
size, it is quite close to the full-size iPad that has a 9.1-inch
display. However, in terms of design, Fire is an entirely different
beast. It has a shell made of plastic unlike the aluminum one that iPad
uses.
The build quality, however, is
impeccable and better than what you get with the likes of Nexus 7 and
Galaxy Tabs. The back cover has a soft rubber coating, which makes
gripping the tablet easier and pleasant. There is also a thin metal
strip that runs horizontally across the tablet's back cover, just below
the area where you are likely to hold the device while using it in
landscape mode. On both sides of the strip there are vents for speakers,
which sound loud and clear while playing music or movies.
The
tablet doesn't have a rear camera. The whole design is very
minimalistic. The power and volume buttons, placed on the right side of
the device, sit flush with shell of the tablet and can be barely
distinguished. The back cover can't be removed and there are no ports
for a SIM card or microSD cards. The tablet only supports Wi-Fi.
The
tablet is powered by a dual-core processor running at 1.5GHz, has 1GB
RAM and 16GB storage. There is 1.3MP front camera for video calls. The
screen, which as we noted earlier, carries the HD moniker. It shows
pleasant and saturated colours, has great viewing angles and is bright
enough to be used in well-lit conditions with ease.
But
in the world of super-high resolution iPads and quad-core Android
tablets, hardware is hardly the big story with Fire HD 8.9.
The
real story is the software. Though Fire HD 8.9 is powered by Android,
it is unlike any other Android tablet. Amazon has completely customized
the user interface on the device. There is no usual home screen, no
usual multitasking, no Play store and no widgets. This is good. And bad.
It all depends on what you want from your tablet.
When
you power on the device and unlock the screen, you are greeted with a
carousel instead of a home screen. This carousel shows you the stuff
that is important to you and its content changes the way you use the
device. For example, when you use the email app, it will appear in the
carousel. Or when you watch a film, it will also appear in the carousel.
When they are too many items for your comfort, you can set some as your
favourites and quickly access them by clicking on a small star button
that appears on the bottom of the screen.
The
idea is that instead of apps, it's the content that matters. Hence, a
user should see the content on the screen when he powers on the device.
The
drop-down bar where notifications appear in Android has also been
changed. When you swipe down from the top bar, you get access to quick
settings. Option to toggle Wi-Fi and change volume or brightness are
present. Clicking on 'more' open the Settings app from where a user can
access advanced settings.
Above the carousel,
there is a scrollable bar that allows a user to quickly jump into a
particular category of content. For example, if you want to access your
movies you can tap on the relevant tab.
The
Amazon store is omnipresent. Currently, to Indian users it serves apps
and e-books. There is no Android Play store on the device. But most of
the popular apps, including games, are available in Amazon app store.
Also, if you can manage to get a valid APK file of an Android app, you
can manually install it on the Fire tablet by copying it from your
computer to the device using USB connection and accessing it through a
file explorer, which can be downloaded from Amazon app store. Digital
movies and songs, which Indian users can not yet purchase and download
from Amazon store, can be copied from your computer to the tablet if you
have them.
As we said earlier, the operating
system in Fire HD 8.9 doesn't offer any multitasking. Instead, users
navigate between apps by using the onscreen home button or the back
button. The overall performance of the device is fast and there is no
noticeable lag. But it's not always buttery smooth like the way Nexus 7
or iPad 4 are. Games like Temple Run play fine on the device. For
browsing, users can utilize Amazon's Silk browser which offers tabbed
browsing. In our use, however, we didn't find the browser to be as good
as Chrome, which is available on other Android tablets.
The battery life of the device is above average. When fully charged, the tablet lasts for around 9 to 10 hours of use.
Case for Kindle Fire HD 8.9
Fire
HD 8.9 is a tablet primarily meant for consuming content. Due to its
fantastic screen, watching films on it is a great experience. Though,
you will have to make sure that the movies are in MP4 format because
formats like AVI and WMV don't always go well with this tablet.
Access
to tens of thousands of books, including classics that are free, means
it is also a tablet that is great for those who love to read.
But
we feel the biggest reason to pick up Fire HD 8.9 over any other
Android tablet is the way it simplifies the user experience. For
non-tech savvy users, this tablet provides an easy way to buy, access
and enjoy the content without putting the software or technology in the
way.
Case against Kindle Fire HD 8.9
The
biggest strength of Fire HD 8.9 is also its biggest weakness. It's not
as versatile as an Android tablet, or even as an iPad 4 and iPad Mini
that have access to some fantastic apps and games. Web browsing is
better on Android tablets and iPad. Both Android tablets and iPad can do
more at the same time. An Android tablet, especially with its widgets,
seamless multitasking and a better notification system, feels more
complete device compared to Fire HD 8.9, especially if you like to
customize your device.
Fire 8.9 HD vs Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini
Kindle
Fire HD 8.9 sells for Rs 21,999. The 3G version of Nexus 7 has been
priced at Rs 21,999. And the iPad Mini (Wi-Fi only) sells for Rs 21,900.
Of these three, if you need the best tablet experience but are willing
to compromise on connectivity, choose iPad Mini. Its only noticeable
drawbacks are lack of 3G connectivity and a screen, which is not as
sharp or good as that of Kindle Fire HD 8.9.
If
you want a tablet that should have internet connectivity while you are
travelling and are willing to compromise on the screen size, Nexus 7 is
fantastic deal. In fact, we consider it to be the most versatile and
value for money device among the three tablets here even though quality
of apps is slightly better on the iPad Mini. Both iPad Mini and Nexus 7
can also be used to buy or rent movies - and in the case of iPad Mini,
songs - from iTunes and Play store, respectively.
Pick
Fire HD 8.9 if you are not very comfortable with software in tablets
and want a simple and easy-to-use device that can allow you access to
thousands of books, magazines and games. The fact that it has the best
screen among the three tablets also means it offers best movie watching
experience if you are willing to copy movies from your computer to the
device. In a way, Fire HD 8.9 may not be a tablet on which you can do
office work while travelling but it can be a perfect gift for your dad.
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