
Context. That's really important when you're looking at the Kindle Fire. Is it an iPad killer? No, but it really wasn't trying to be.
In many ways, the Fire still an iPad competitor, but only because both devices are technically tablets. It's only natural that you'd look at both as contenders in the same ring. In reality, though, the choice is more akin to comparing a truck to a sedan. Both are automotive vehicles, but each has its different niche.
Without detracting from Apple's innovation, the iPad works better as a pseudo-netbook replacement. If you want to browse the Web, check email, play some games, listen to music, and type notes without the hassle of flipping out a keyboard, the iPad works great.
Amazon is really trying to push a different kind of product. While other companies sell their own branded hardware, Amazon is, first and foremost, a merchant. It's in the business of selling products made by others, which is why the Fire is more of a front-end that enables you to consume more music, video, and e-books (from Amazon, of course).
| Tablet Pricing | 8 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad 2 (Wi-Fi) | - | $499 | $599 | $699 |
| Amazon Kindle Fire (Wi-Fi) | $199 | - | - | - |
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer (Wi-Fi) | - | $399 | $469 | - |
| Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi) | - | - | $499 | - |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi) | - | $499 | $599 | - |
In a sea of tablet options, the Fire's biggest advantage is its low price tag. Interestingly, Amazon is basically breaking even on its manufacturing costs by selling at $199 (source: iSuppli), but that's probably a good thing for the company. Amazon is following in the path paved by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. Sell the console cheap and make money on the stuff your users buy for it.
If you're an addict for Amazon's various offerings, this tablet is going to be an easy favorite. But don't expect the same experience you'd get from an iPad 2 or Eee Pad Transformer. It's not simply a $200 version of those pricier products. If that's the way you approach tablet shopping, the Kindle Fire's allure will wear off quickly and you'll end up with a piece of technology that sits next to your computer collecting dust.
Amazon's first real tablet is far from completely polished. Battery life is nothing to write home about, and input lag is higher than what we've seen from other tablets. Transfer speeds over USB are downright poor, and there are restrictions on charging while connected to a system. Furthermore, the display's color gamut is barely worth mentioning, and the cloud acceleration aspect of Amazon Silk could use some tuning.
The Kindle Fire gets points for being an incredibly durable tablet. Braver souls have already tried scratching the screen with their keys and dropping the device from two or three feet without a scratch (check out the BlogKindle Youtube videos).
To be fair, though, we've found plenty to criticize on every tablet that has passed through our lab. But if you're willing to opt in to an Amazon's Prime membership or eager to purchase a number of e-books, this could be the tablet for which you've been waiting. For everyone else, we have a review coming up on a tablet that hits a great price point and doesn't sacrifice as many features. Keep an eye out for that!
- Meet Amazon's Kindle Fire
- Quick Navigation Tour
- Books And Documents: Not Quite An e-Book Reader...
- Video And Music: Amazon Prime Members Rejoice
- Amazon Appstore Is Not Android Market
- The Shopping Experience: All About Amazon
- Amazon Silk: Assisted Web Browsing (Sort Of)
- Web Browsing: The Same Old Android Restrictions
- TI's OMAP 4430: CPU And GPU Performance
- An Experiment: Gaming Performance, Tegra 2-Porting
- Storage Performance: Slightly Faster Than USB 1.0?!
- Display Performance: IPS Confirmed
- Display Performance Examined: Very Bright, So-So Gamut
- Benchmark Results: Battery Life And Recharge Time
- Benchmark Results: Real-World Performance
- Benchmark Results: Wireless Performance
- Awesome For Amazon Addicts
- Appendix A: Background Information On Our Benchmarks
- Appendix B: Notes For Kindle Fire Owners
Ummm.... what?
Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com
Ummm.... what?
Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com
Just give him the 6990, the poor fellow just wants to play BF3.
Ever heard of bots? There're tons of those on Tom's nowadays.
A GPU of a 560 Ti level maxes it out @ 1080p, no need for a 6990.
Back to topic...
ROFL, and who needs a tablet without all that? That's right, Amazon fanboys. That company is an utter POS that is not unlike Apple, designing underpowered useless products and delivering them as "innovative". The only "innovative" thing here is a complete dependency on the company's online services... oops, nevermind, Apple did it first
And do not say "ya, but you can root it!!!". That's nice, people can jailbreak their iPads. You cannot include rooting and jailbreaking when you talk about something being open
The Fire doesn't have either of those things. Not going to work. You should check out the specs of the Fire first.
Oh yeah? You bought a Fire?
Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com
This article is a big fail.. they should have included it to compare.
Just sayin...
You can say the same thing with the Ipad and the Itunes store. Except for the fact that Amazon isn't making money with just selling the Kindle Fire alone.
Still though I like both the Ipad and Kindle Fire.
Also, I want to elaborate on the GPU. The OMAP 4430's SGX540 runs at 300MHz, not 200MHz, so those figures are a little misleading.
It seems like a good product from Amazon, but for my expected use, it isn't sufficient. I mainly use my iPod touch to read comics in JPEG format, so not being able to install many apps + having limited space really hurts.
Glad you liked it! Most of the time I cringe when the table discussion turns to tablets. A lot of tech reviewers aren't even really technies. They come from a Communication background, which is why the Fire is always pitted in a iPad 2 fight. Plus, the investors want the Apple fight cause they only see things in terms of units sold.
The engineers and consumers want a comparison based on features and usability. And the executives and PR people want a comparison based on demographics.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. For me, this tablet is very attractive, but then again, I like amazon. If you're not part of that crowd, it's a harder purchase to justify in the long run.
Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com