RealClear Summary
Posted On September 12, 2012
Amazon's next-generation tablet, the Kindle Fire HD (7-inch), has thrown another monkey wrench into the tablet buyer's life. You'll now have three (likely) 7-inch powerhouses to choose from: the Google Nexus 7, the Fire HD and the widely rumored iPad Mini.
For those considering the $199 Fire HD you'll find a 1280 x 800 HD display with Dolby audio and a dual speaker driver. There's a dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi connectivity for speedy downloads (faster, Amazon claims, than the new iPad). It is tightly integrated with Amazon's content library of books, movies and packaged goods. Ostensibly built on top of Google's Android operating system, the Kindle Fire HD is more of a portal into Amazon's retail enterprise. This integration is both the Kindle Fire HD's strength and weakness, according to reviewers.
If you're an avid media consumer - specifically, if you're an avid user of Amazon's ecosystem of media products (i.e. if you're a Prime subscriber and read your e-books via the Kindle app), the Fire HD gets high marks. However, for those looking for a more well-rounded tablet experience, reviewers advised looking elsewhere. The Fire HD is more a storefront for Amazon than an all-purpose tablet.
Reviews Sources
There are two devices in this review. The first is something like an appliance - a window through which you casually view content, a way to listen to music, an e-reader for the train...
The Kindle Fire HD isn’t a great tablet but it’s a great media device. “Power users” will feel constrained by the limitations placed on them by Amazon’s...
If you can get past that decidedly subsidized feeling, you do have a compelling package in your hands. The HD is fast, has a nice design, a beautiful screen, proper stereo speakers...
New physical design and updated user interface make for a more refined overall experience. Audio Whispersync and X-Ray for Books and Video make watching, listening and reading that...
Kindle Fire HD models are attractive, confident viewers of movies, TV shows, Web pages and books. They tap into Amazon's increasingly appealing online world of entertainment and...
Overall, I see the 7-inch Fire HD as a good value for those primarily interested in easily tapping Amazon's large collection of content.
For as wonderful as the Fire HD can seem, it's a very targeted kind of wonderful. You won't use this as the device to power you through a day full of events and email and documents....
With a beautiful screen, refined interface, and huge coffer of media consumption options the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is the Kindle Fire as it should have been.
Two months ago, I wrote that Google's Nexus 7 was the budget tablet to beat. But two months in the tech world might as well be two years in some other business. Now another worthy...
| Approve | Mostly Approve | |
Mixed/Caveated | Mostly Disapprove | Disapprove |