A Kindle Fire as a Christmas Gift
Reasons to buy the new Amazon Kindle Fire. The new Kindle may set the world on fire, just as the first Amazon Kindle did. It is obviously an alternative to Apple’s overpriced products but what makes it so attractive ?Amazon Kindle Fire Video Review
Price
It is a lot cheaper than the iPad ($300 cheaper – mainly because Apple overprices its products to create the idea that you are buying something ‘chic’).
The Kindle Fire sells at $199 which may be a good price for a Christmas present for kids or for partners.
Screen size
The Kindle Fire display is 7 inches – small than the iPad but that does have the advantage of making the Fire lighter and easier to carry about. The Samsung Galaxy Note screen will be 5.3 inches.
Clearly a good big ‘un beats a good little ‘un bigger but weight is also a factor.
Features
The Fire doesn't have a camera but most people have cameras in their phones these days. It doesn't have a microphone, so no chatting over the Fire.
It is Wi-Fi-only.
The Kindle Fire promises 8 hours of battery life, (10 hours for the iPad 2).
Finally it has 8GB of storage but offers free cloud storage on Amazon.
Apps
The Fire runs on a modified Android operating system so you get access to several thousand apps in Amazon's app store for Android.
Amazon has optimized the Fire for streaming movies, e-books and music and a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the premier service that offers free 2-day shipping of products from Amazon and free streaming from a choice of over 11,000 movies and TV shows.
The fact of the matter is that the Kindle Fire is not supposed to be an iPad. It’s designed for consumers not chatters and surfers. It’s aim is to allow you to read books, listen to music and watch videos. It’s most direct competitor is likely the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.
Amazon Kindle Fire Technical Details
Display
7" multi-touch display - in-plane switching technology - anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixels at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size
190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm (7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" ).
Weight
14.6 oz (413 grams).
System Requirements Wireless – no computer required.
On-device Storage 8GB internal (approx. 6GB available for content). Enough for 80 apps, + 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.
Battery life depends on wireless usage - web browsing and downloading content.
Charge Time Full charge in approx. 4 hours via U.S. power adapter (included). Allows charging from your PC via USB.
Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports private and public Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.
Documentation Quick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device)
Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended
Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the terms found here.
Included in the Box Kindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.
For more details from Amazon click here - Kindle Fire, Full Color
For details of the reduced price 'ordinary' Amazon Kindle click here -
$79 Kindle
It is a lot cheaper than the iPad ($300 cheaper – mainly because Apple overprices its products to create the idea that you are buying something ‘chic’).
The Kindle Fire sells at $199 which may be a good price for a Christmas present for kids or for partners.
Screen size
The Kindle Fire display is 7 inches – small than the iPad but that does have the advantage of making the Fire lighter and easier to carry about. The Samsung Galaxy Note screen will be 5.3 inches.
Clearly a good big ‘un beats a good little ‘un bigger but weight is also a factor.
Features
The Fire doesn't have a camera but most people have cameras in their phones these days. It doesn't have a microphone, so no chatting over the Fire.
It is Wi-Fi-only.
The Kindle Fire promises 8 hours of battery life, (10 hours for the iPad 2).
Finally it has 8GB of storage but offers free cloud storage on Amazon.
Apps
The Fire runs on a modified Android operating system so you get access to several thousand apps in Amazon's app store for Android.
Amazon has optimized the Fire for streaming movies, e-books and music and a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the premier service that offers free 2-day shipping of products from Amazon and free streaming from a choice of over 11,000 movies and TV shows.
The fact of the matter is that the Kindle Fire is not supposed to be an iPad. It’s designed for consumers not chatters and surfers. It’s aim is to allow you to read books, listen to music and watch videos. It’s most direct competitor is likely the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.
Amazon Kindle Fire Technical Details
Display
7" multi-touch display - in-plane switching technology - anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixels at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size
190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm (7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" ).
Weight
14.6 oz (413 grams).
System Requirements Wireless – no computer required.
On-device Storage 8GB internal (approx. 6GB available for content). Enough for 80 apps, + 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.
Battery life depends on wireless usage - web browsing and downloading content.
Charge Time Full charge in approx. 4 hours via U.S. power adapter (included). Allows charging from your PC via USB.
Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports private and public Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.
Documentation Quick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device)
Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended
Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the terms found here.
Included in the Box Kindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.
For more details from Amazon click here - Kindle Fire, Full Color
For details of the reduced price 'ordinary' Amazon Kindle click here -
$79 Kindle
