NEW DELHI: 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, was not 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 tablet. 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 the user get the book, movie or song que 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 Should you buy is 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 que this is not a tablet for everyone. But for some, This could be a very good device to c arry around.
Simple to use, designed for Amazon Before we talk about Who should buy Kindle Fire and who should not, 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 que iPad 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 que 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 que 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 does not have a rear camera. The whole design is very minimalistic. The power and volume buttons, pl aced on the right side of the device, sit flush with shell of the tablet and can barely be distinguished. The back cover can not 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, the Which we Noted earlier, carries the HD moniker. It shows pleasant and saturated colors, 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 iPad 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, the usual multitasking at Play in store and 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 the 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 the film, it will Also Appear in the carousel. When They are too many items for your comfort, you can add the September and quickly access your favorites Them by clicking on the small que Appears star button on the bottom of the screen. The idea is instead of que Apps, it’s the content that matters. HENCE, Should the user see the content on the screen When he powers on the device. The drop-down bar where notifications Also Appear in Android has been changed. When you swipe down from the top bar, you get quick access to settings. Option to toggle Wi-Fi and change volume or brightness are present. Clicking on ‘more’ open the Settings app from where the user can access advanced settings. Above the carousel, there is a scrollable bar que Allows the 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, it serves to Indian users 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 does not 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 are 4 or iPad. Games Like Temple Run play fine on the device. For browsing, users can use Amazon’s Silk Which browser offers tabbed browsing. In our use, However, we did not 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 que the movies are in MP4 format because formats like AVI and WMV do not always go well with this tablet. Access to have of Thousands of books, including classics que 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 to an Android tablet, or even an iPad 4 and the iPad Mini que 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 Team. 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 HD 8.9 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. Mini and the iPad (WiFi 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 que of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. If you want a tablet That Should have internet connectivity while you are traveling 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 Also can be used to buy or rent movies – and in the case of iPad Mini, songs – from iTunes store and Play, respectivamente. Pick Fire HD 8.9 if you are not very comfortable with software in tablets and want a si mple and easy-to-use device que can allow you access to Thousands of books, magazines and games. Collegues 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 traveling but it can be a perfect gift for your dad. 
Amazon has not forgotten que They are still pretty much in the tablet game, where Kindle Their range has done pretty well for itself in the past years. In fact, there is a new rumor going around que Amazon Could very well deliver a new range of Kindle Fire tablets que are capable of going up against the likes of the Nexus 7 2 as well as the next generation iPad mini, and one of the que new Kindle Fire tablets are slated to roll out would be the Kindle Fire 2 HD, Which it has been said to happen sometime this coming August or September. 
