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It looks like the Amazon Kindle Fire is shipping a little early, and a bunch of reviews have already crossed the wire today. The most tantalizing things about the Amazon Kindle Fire is that it manages to provide 1.2 GHz of dual-core goodness for only $200, but after skimming some of the reviews, it’s readily apparent that the bigger story here is that the tablet is really about selling stuff. Amazon apparently does a great job providing seamless links to buying material goods, apps, books, music, and movies, making the whole thing more like a solidified, condensed Amazon store than a proper consumer gadget. It’s an interesting strategy, and one that I’m tempted to think might work for those that don’t need everything the iPad 2 has to offer.
Personally, I’m not too interested in being continually pitched to buy crap on my mobile device. Sure, it’s a key element of the iPad and iPhone, but I don’t use them either for the same reason. In any case, here’s a smattering of verdicts from across the web. If you find any more high-quality reviews of the Kindle Fire online, drop a link, or if you happen to get your hands on one, let us know what you think! Our review is forthcoming.
Gizmodo: “Simply, the Fire is a wonderful IRL compliment to Amazon’s digital abundance. It’s a terrific, compact little friend, and—is this even saying anything?—the best Android tablet to date.”
Engadget: “The Kindle Fire is great value and perhaps the best, tightest integration of digital content acquisition into a mobile device that we’ve yet seen.”
CNET: “Though it lacks the tech specs found on more-expensive Apple and Android tablets, the $199 Kindle Fire is an outstanding entertainment value that prizes simplicity over techno-wizardry.”
Mashable: “A consistent, well-thought out marriage of hardware and services that offer an almost frictionless environment for app purchase and content consumption.”
Laptop Magazine: “The Fire can be slow to respond at times–and the Silk browser will take time to live up to its potential–but overall we highly recommend this slate for shoppers on a budget.”
New York Times: “If you’re used to an iPad or ‘real’ Android tablet, its software gremlins will drive you nuts.”
Consumer Reports: “The display is smaller than the iPad’s, and the app market is more limited, but for $200 you’re getting a full-featured tablet that performs well.”
Wired: “Small screen size and insufficient processing power. Crap browser performance. Near useless as a magazine reader, and roundly trumped by superb e-ink Kindles as a book reader.”
MSNBC: “The Kindle Fire can handle about 80 percent of what I want to do on an iPad, for 40 percent of the price.”
ZDNet: “Amazon isn’t annoying with the shopping pitches, but the ecosystem is all about e-commerce. With the Kindle Fire you’re in Amazon’s world.”
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
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http://www.addvalue.com.au/ executive gifts
