LITTLE ROCK — I hear you, readers. You’ve asked, and I’m happy to answer.
I’ve had several readers asking me about the hot new kid on the tablet computer block, the Amazon Kindle Fire. I’ve been asked questions ranging from, “What does it do?” to “Is it a good substitute for the iPad 2?”
I’m going to try to answer those questions for you.
For those who don’t know,the Kindle Fire is a hyped-up version of Amazon’s electronic reader, the Kindle.
Amazon took a tablet device that downloaded black-and-white, digital versions of books and added color, applications and the Internet.
The Kindle Fire features a 7.5-inch screen and a sleek, black exterior with two speakers, a power button and a USB port to recharge the device. The Kindle started out as an e-reader, and the Fire still has that capability at its core. Amazon has thousands of books,both free and for a fee, available for download. The reading screen is bright and full of contrast, so it’s easy to read, even outdoors.
In addition to books, you also can download music, TV shows and movies from Amazon.com to run on the Kindle. Most of these require payment, although some are available for free to Amazon Prime members. Basically, you pay an annual membership fee (currently $79) and you get free downloads and content that downloads temporarily (or streams) to the Kindle.
The Kindle Fire also lets you add documents. You set up the e-mail address provided on the Kindle, then register it on Amazon with the touch of a button. Then you e-mail documents to the Kindle. Amazon’s security requires you to add the e-mail address sending the documents to an “accept” list to get the documents, and that security must be accessed on Amazon’s website. The documents, once sent, are “archived” on the Amazon site, and you have to go there and tell it to send the documents to the Kindle. It took several minutes for them to appear on the Kindle. Basically, it’s way more complicated than it needs to be.
The Kindle Fire adds other capabilities, thanks to its adoption of an Android-compatible operating system that allows it to use Android apps. It opens up the Kindle to use thousands of apps to enhance its capabilities, from productivity to fitness to games. Yes, my friends, you can play Angry Birds on the Kindle. That’s worth a thumbs up right there.
Navigation on the Kindle is very basic. Everything is set up on a “bookshelf,” so you can scroll quickly through items and touch the one you want to launch it. It does make it easy to hit your favorite items quickly. However, it suffers from one of the big issues I have with the Android operating system. It’s easy to open stuff,but not as easy to close it. You have to go into Settings - More - Applications and then choose the application and hit Force Stop if you want to close it, and that’s not recommended. It’s way too complicated, but that’s more the fault of the Android system than the Kindle.
Truth is, I really enjoyed playing with the Kindle Fire. It has a lot going for it. It’s easy to use, it has lots of multimedia and apps available, and it’s still a great e-reader. The fact that it has so much available from Amazon makes it even better.
That said, there are a couple of things that the Kindle Fire needs. Let’s start with volume-control buttons. The device doesn’t have any. To change the volume, you have to stop what you’re doing, tap the settings and adjust the volume on the screen. I know it doesn’t seem like a major deal, but after a while,it kind of got annoying.
Speaking of volume, the speakers could use a bit more than they have. Even at top volume, they’re not as loud as I expected. The sound is good. It just needs to be a tad louder.
Let me touch on a question I’ve been asked several times: Is the Kindle Fire a good alternative to the iPad 2?
That’s actually a difficult question, because it depends on what you need from your tablet computer. As far as speed, Web capabilities, TV and movie viewing, book reading and app usage go, the Kindle works great as an alternative. However, if you’re looking for something to access and organize e-mail, take photos, connect via 3G instead of Wi-Fi, or connect to devices via Bluetooth, the Kindle isn’t going to work for you.
Either way, the Kindle is an enticing alternative given its $199 price tag, well below the base model $499 cost of the iPad 2.
It may not have all the features of some of the bigger tablet computers, but the Kindle Fire has a lot going for it, and it still puts a lot in your pocket. If you’re shopping for an e-reader or a small tablet, definitely give the Kindle Fire a good look.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at mljones72@me.com.
Where it’s @
The Kindle Fire is available from Amazon.com. A free Amazon.com account is required to access store content. An Amazon Prime account also can be used to access store content plus free content to Prime members. The 8GB Kindle Fire retails for $199. More information is available at amazon.com.
Business, Pages 19 on 02/13/2012