GADGET WATCH: Kindle Fire

It’s only been a few days since the announcement of Amazon’s new tablet, the Kindle Fire. Aimed squarely at the iPad, this device comes with a rich content system that may present the first viable alternative to Apple’s gadget.

And while it’s far too early for any significant reviews to have been published, there are plenty of early hands-on experiences around to look at. So what are some of the first thoughts we’re seeing on the Kindle Fire?

Hardware and Features

The Kindle Fire features a seven inch screen, and contains an 700MHz dual-core processor, 8GB of storage – although Amazon says most content will be stored in the cloud – and contains a multi-touch screen as well.

The device lacks a number of ports including a MicroSD card slot, and doesn’t contain front or rear cameras, 3G capability or GPS functions as well. Amazon brags the device has seven and a half hours of battery while playing video,

with several more if users are just reading books or browsing.

The screen is made of Gorilla Glass, and displays at a 1024×600 pixel resolution. The device weighs only 413 grams.

What’s the consensus?

Early testing with the Kindle Fire suggests this is an incredibly fast device, even with the lower-powered processor, as Amazon has been able to make the device work best when working with custom software.

Gizmodo points out that Amazon “has put a lot of care into the user experience”.

“When you first open your Kindle Fire, it greets you by your name. It’s personalised for you at the factory, and it’s ready to use with no setup.”

“The interface is ultra-simple, instead of having the horrible Frankenstein that Google and other Android tablet manufacturers insist on getting down consumers’ throats.”

It also praised the super-fast web browser, Silk, which a number of other reviewers have noted for its ability to use cloud-based technology for pre-rendering web pages.

While PC World criticised the lack of clarity in the LCD screen compared to its other Kindle products, it did note that the $US199 price tag almost makes the device an impulse buy, and said the healthy ecosystem should make the device more attractive.

“With the Kindle Fire, acquiring content and using it on your tablet looks to be seamless. More critically, seeing what’s in the cloud for you to download should be simple, too–as simple as tapping on the content, and tapping Download.”
Reviewers have praised the ecosystem and the amount of content available, but not everyone is impressed.

JR Raphael at ComputerWorld has written that some negatives include the fact Amazon doesn’t connect you to the actual Android Market, only its own, and that despite some good features such as Whispersync, the tablet shouldn’t be thought of as a device, but as a service.

“In that regard, the device has a lot to offer, especially for its $200 price tag. Just be sure the Amazon experience is what you want before you plunk down the cash.”

Who’s it for?

At this point, it’s too early to tell. While plenty of reviewers have praised the tablet’s build, responsiveness and fluidity of the user interface, there are some potential problems with the device apart from its quality build.

For one thing, some of the services available through the Kindle Fire aren’t yet available to Australian users, such as film and television deals. This makes up a considerable amount of the attractiveness of the device, so it remains to be seen how it will play in Australia.

At this point, the Kindle Fire is looking promising. But Australian users will have to wait and see how it performs locally before they should think about shelling out the cash.