Before purchasing the Tablet

Before purchasing the Tablet

 

Before purchasing the Kindle Fire, as I do with most purchases, I did a lot of research. This always includes reading other people's reviews, especially on Amazon where there are so many helpful ones. I was somewhat disappointed/surprised to see that so many people clearly didn't understand what they were buying! Almost all of the negative reviews for this tablet came from an obvious lack of understanding of the product, that could have been cleared up with a few minutes of research. To that end, I wanted to clear a few things up:

-While I do concede that the naming of the Kindle Fires has been a little confusing, it's easy to grasp with a few minutes of reading the descriptions. This Kindle Fire HD is the replacement of the previous Kindle Fire. Yet, not all the features are the same, and the features (or lack thereof) are clearly detailed. One shouldn't buy it blindly expecting the same product as last year, especially given the significant price drop.

-No, there isn't a camera. It's clearly states that there isn't one, and this is factor in it's low price. Therefore, the reviews that complain about not having Skype did not understand what tablet they were purchasing.

-Yes, there are special offers. You don't HAVE to buy it with special offers, but honestly I think it's worth it. It's less expensive, and the ads are ONLY on the lock screen. Some of them are for cool products, some aren't. Even the ones that aren't, you look at it for 2 seconds before unlocking your device. Plus, for 15$ you can remove them forever! Writing a review complaining about the offers on the screen just means that that person didn't glance at the description. The choice between special offers and not is right next to the product description.

-This is a specialized Android tablet. It's meant to be used within the Amazon 'ecosystem', such as the Amazon app store, music store, Prime videos, Kindle books, etc. Therefore, in my opinion, you have to be a heavy user, and ideally a Prime user. If you're not, this might not be the tablet for you.

-Finally, this is a tablet. Not an e-reader. There are a couple reviews that complain about it not having the same 8 week battery life as the Kindle e-reader. Of course it doesn't. It's a standard LED screen tablet, and you should expect the traditional battery life that comes with that -- 8-10 hours of continual use.

Now, on to the things I love! I'm a huge Amazon user, I already own a Kindle, but other than that I am strictly iOS. I wanted a basic tablet to complement my retina iPad, which is great but I find too heavy for a lot of things. I thought getting the entry-level Kindle Fire would give me an inexpensive way to preview a different OS and see how the Amazon system works, since I am a Prime member and have all the advantages that come with that. I didn't need a camera or extra storage, because I already have an iPad and iPhone with those features. This was really to read, try out Prime streaming, check email, Spotify, and play some games. I waited for Cyber Monday hoping for a deal, and nabbed the 16g at 50$ off plus a 30$ gift card I already had, coming out to a measly 89$. For a steal like that, it could work half as well as it does and I would be happy. For that price, (even the regular price), it works fantastic.

The touch screen and keyboard work perfectly for me, very responsive. The (stereo!) speakers, like other reviewers said, are really great for such a little device. It feels well made, is very comfortable in the hand, and is the perfect size for reading and throwing in a purse. The setup process is a breeze. The settings and controls themselves are very easy and intuitive. The resolution is great, very clear. Not retina, but more than adequate. The wifi works great, I have signal in my house about just as far as my iPad does. I thought I would hate the carousel, but I actually like it! I do enjoy having the list view as well. I've also been very happy with the web browsing, finding it to be responsive and quick. While it isn't as lightning fast as my iPad, for a fraction of the price I am very impressed. I definitely find that reading on the Fire is better, the dimensions and weight are perfect.

I do have a couple cons, as with any device. Because I knew precisely what I was getting and what I needed, I have no problem with there being no camera or mini-HDMI port (with options like the Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku, who needs wires?).

-The battery life is comparable to my iPad. However, being less powerful than my iPad, I expected a bit more longevity. I don't quite get the 10 hours, more like 8.

-The charger port set into the bezel is at an angle. It's straight, but because of the tapered design the micro USB doesn't fit in perfectly like I've come to expect from a lightning or dock cable from Apple. It just feels unsteady, and I have to pull harder than I should to unplug it. Plus, it's not in the middle of the device, so using the tablet while it's charging isn't ideal.

-Unless I haven't found it yet, there's no 'silent' setting. You have to manually turn the volume down if you don't want to hear a game's music or an email arriving, and then turn it back up again to listen to music or watch videos. I've taken this for granted on the iPad.

-There are too many apps that don't support landscape mode. This seems silly for a 7 inch tablet that will most often be used in landscape.

-I already have a tiny tiny scratch on my screen. It's almost invisible except when light is shining on it, but I've only had it a few days and that gives me the impression that the glass isn't quite as reinforced as the iPad's. The rest of it does feel very sturdy though.

-Finally, while I really don't mind that the special offers prevent me from changing the lock screen wallpaper (when I get sick of them I'm happy to fork over 15 bucks), it seems strange to not be able to change the wallpaper of the home screen. The black wallpaper has a weird gradient thing, so it appears that your outermost apps have a shadow to them.

To cap off this extraordinarily long review, it's a great tablet, and even more impressive for the price. The pros far outweigh the cons in my opinion. I just strongly urge people to do some more research into what they purchase, that way they won't be unhappy later. If you understand what you are getting and are OK with some of the 'missing' features, I highly recommend the Fire. It's the best budget tablet out there, easy to use, and has the weight of Amazon's services behind it. Can't go wrong there!

Before purchasing the Tablet