Summary: The HDX larger tablet boasts some impressive specs and Amazon fans will feel right at home, although others may miss the wider range of apps found elsewhere. Business users will enjoy its e-reader capabilities.
HDX 8.9-inch tablet is the larger version of Amazon’s latest tablet (find our review of the 7-inch model here). While the target market is Aimed Mainly consumers, Amazon is wooing business users Also: According to the books-to-cloud-computing giant, the Kindle Fire is the second most popular tablet use in business in the U.S.. The latest model has additional features to further its appeal Increase workplace.
The IPS screen on the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 “has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels, giving a pixel density of 339ppi. (Image: CNET.com)The hardware
The Kindle Fire
HDX 8.9 “is an impressively trim package: it’s 7.8mm thin and light (at 374g for the wi-fi-only model, it’s Significantly lighter than the wi-fi iPad Air 469g), yet reassuringly sturdy thanks to its magnesium chassis. It weighs in about a third lighter than the previous-generation Kindle Fire HD 8.9 “(567g).
The bevelled edges
of the screen make it fit very easily in the hand, Which makes it perfectly comfortable to hold for the duration of the movie, for example. Those with the 7-inch model, the power button and volume rocker are on the back of the device, at index-finger height if you’re holding the tablet in landscape mode the default.
The volume buttons are on the back of the tablet, at index-finger height when in landscape mode. (Image: CNET.com) This positioning of the buttons is handy piece of design because it makes it easy to reach the controls without having to look away from the screen, When watching video, for example, and keeps the tablet’s silhouette even cleaner – the Micro-USB port and headphone jack are the only connections to sully the sides.
The 2,560-by-1-0.600 pixel, 339ppi display is very good, and although I did not like it quite as much to the Nokia 2520′s, it has been the top performer in benchmarks. It delivers an excellent reading experience, with clear but not over-bright pages. I found the HDX’s easy to use as an e-ink Kindle.
The 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor 800 with 2GB of RAM Ensures que When there’s lag in switching between apps. Unlike the 7-inch model, the 8.9-inch unit has two cameras – 720p HD at the front and full-HD 1080p 8MP at the back
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Software
I tested out the ad-supported model, Which is cheaper but displays an add-on the lock screen: paying an extra £ 10 for the ‘without special offers’ model will rid you of this irritation, and it’s money well spent .
The device runs OS 3.0 Fire ‘Mojito’, Which is Amazon’s fork of Google’s Android OS, Which has allowed Amazon to customize the operating system as it wants. One of the main selling points for this device is access to the Amazon content ecosystem -. Over 27 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines
One handy addition is the ‘Mayday’ button, Which offers live on-screen video tech support, with Amazon aiming to answer calls Within 15 seconds. Amazon’s support staff can help if you run into difficulties, and explain how various software components work. As well as saving the time (and patience) of the more tech savvy friends and family, such a feature might also be useful in an enterprise setting, freeing the helpdesk from attending to the more trivial tasks.
OtherKindle-only features of note include X-Ray for Music, Which offers song lyrics, and X-Ray for Movies and TV, Which uses IMDb to offer trivia or plot details while you’re watching videos. If you’ve got a Playstation or Samsung TV you can show video from the Fire on TV screen, using the tablet for playback controls or X-Ray content. Kindle FreeTime Allows you to create a children’s account with limited access to apps or browsing.
The bundledSilk browser is basic, but adequate – although the ‘Reading View’ that strips October most of the formatting on the web page to make for an easier read is a nice touch, over-busy turning web pages into a more relaxing reading experience.
All these additional features come with the trade-off under Fire OS rather than Android: you will not be downloading apps from Google Play, like most other Android users, but are restricted to Amazon’s own, much smaller, Appstore <. / p>
By using a fork of Android, Amazon has created walled garden of apps, and it’s worth bearing in mind que Inevitably developers go for the biggest and most lucrative markets first, starting with iOS, then Android, then Windows Phone. At the moment, Amazon’s Fire OS fork is probably about the same priority for developers as Windows Phone.
One example: BBC content is available and looks great, but in the UK you can not currently view video content from the other national broadcasters (Channel 4, ITV or Channel 5), the none have released the Fire OS and app the Silk browser does not support Flash out of the box.
Amazon does have an experimental streaming viewer que may help in some cases, it’s possible Also to side-load apps onto the Kindle if the Amazon Appstore does not offer what you need. Unlikely to appeal Side-loading to non-technical users and is not exactly Encourages by Amazon: “When you use applications from unknown sources, Kindle and your personal data are less secure and there is a risk of unexpected behavior,” you are warned.
However, all the basics are in place and there are workarounds for the absence of some apps – the baked-in email application did a nice job of displaying my Gmail, for example
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Amazon has touted the Kindle’s enterprise-ready credentials, citing support for encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure wifi connections and VPN integration – all welcome additions. The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX is a better match for enterprise usage than its smaller 7-inch sibling, and I think is Most Likely to crop up in an enterprise setting as a handy device for reading documents. These (even simple Word documents) look very elegant on the Kindle, and I can see it finding a niche to an executive e-reader.
Getting documents onto the device is a little fiddly: if you want to email the document directly to the Kindle, you first need to authorise the sender’s email address, for example. There are other options, though: Them sync from the computer; Them clip from the web, transfer via USB. The easiest way is to email Them to yourself, of course. To do more than just read the documents you’ll need to buy OfficeSuite Professional from Amazon Appstore.
Conclusion
The HDX 8.9 inch Kindle Fire is an impressive hardware package, and if you are already bought in to the world of Amazon books, music and more – or are already an Amazon Prime customer – then you will find it a very rich experience . Like the Kindle Fire 7-inch HDX its primary aim is to function as a gateway to Amazon’s products and services, so if you are looking for a tablet for general usage and do not intend to make Amazon’s services the heart of your digital life then you may find it a more limited experience.
At the moment the splendid hardware is held back by an underwhelming set of apps, and app ecosystem que is big part of the equation choosing a tablet. Business users will like its excellent e-reader capabilities Which will make Word and Excel to consume far more agreeable. And if Amazon can persuade developers to start building more apps for Fire OS (Likely to happen if HDX sales rocket) then This could quickly become the tablet to beat.
Alternatives
Two obvious alternatives come to mind, depending on your choice of entertainment ecosystem;. Nexus or the iPad Air 10 are obvious contenders
Pros
- Sturdy, lightweight design
- Great quality screen
- Mayday service helps with technical problems
- Amazon content library
Enormous
Cons
- Limited number of apps
- services
Emphasis on Amazon
Specifications
Processor 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, with Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM
Display 2,560-by- 1600-resolution 8.9in. IPS touchscreen (339ppi), video playback up to 1080p
Dimensions 231mm x 158mm x 7.8mm Weight
374g (wifi only) 384g ( LTE + wifi)
Storage 16GB (10.6 GB available to user), 32GB (24.9 GB available to user), 64GB (54.3 GB available to user); unlimited cloud storage for Amazon content
Battery life Up to 12 hours of reading, web surfing over Wi-Fi, watching video or music playback, up to 18 hours of battery life for reading only
Wi-fi connectivity Dual-band, dual- antenna wi-fi (802.11a/b/g/n) with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support ad-hoc (peer-to-peer or) wi-fi connections
Ports USB 2.0 (micro-B connector), 3.5 mm stereo jack
Sensors Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS (model 4G )
Camera Front-facing 720p HD camera, 1080p HD 8MP rear-facing camera
Prices
Wi-Fi-only: £ 339 (16GB), £ 379 (32GB), £ 419 (64GB)
Wi-Fi + LTE: £ 409 (16GB), £ 449 (32GB), £ 489 (64GB)
Verdict
8/10
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