Amazon Kindle Fire Review

The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY

Make sure you check out all the videos

amazon kindle fire

This is about the much talked about Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. With this Amazon Kindle Fire Review, we talk about NOT just its shiny-flashy details, but also about its apparent ‘shortcomings’ and how they can affect you, as a Kindle Fire user. Everybody knew that a tablet computer was coming from Amazon. Some even went on to predict that it might well be that iPad killer everybody thought every other tablet was going to be, but never was. Is the Amazon Fire as good as everybody says it is? Hold on tight and get ready to find out!

Here are the main points we address with this Kindle Fire Review

  1. The GOOD – 25 reasons why you should buy a Kindle Fire
  2. The BAD – 10 reasons why it’s not quite an iPad2
  3. The UGLY

Amazon Kindle Fire – The GOOD (25 reasons to own a Kindle Fire)

      1. Kindle Fire vs iPad 2 side by sideThe Price Tag – $199 (that’s $300 cheaper than the entry level iPad2 and $630 cheaper than the most expensive iPad2)
      2. Powerful Dual-Core processor – 1Ghz Dual-Core processor and 512 MB RAM (just like the iPad2)
      3. Wide angle viewing – Extra-wide so that more than a single user can enjoy the Kindle Fire at once (using a technology known as IPS -in-plane switching- again something the iPad2 also features)
      4. High resolution screen – 1024 X 600 pixel resolution with 169 pixels per inch (ppi). This is higher than the 132 ppi of the iPad2.
      5. Vivid colors – 16 million colors
      6. Multi-touch touch-screen/display – it’s a HIGHLY responsive touch screen from our experience. Sometimes these touch-screens (on various phones and tablets) don’t necessarily respond to your touch. Sometimes, you have to swipe multiple times to get a page to turn, that was not what we found out with the Kindle Fire as you can see on this image and video below it. This is the App that was used for the drawing below. But this is probably the best drawing app which we found later.
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        If you found the video useful, please consider Sharing it! Thank you!
      7. Great selection of Apps:  The Fire comes with a variety of apps including social networking apps (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instant messaging), productivity apps (To do lists, calendars), office/business apps (Documents To Go, QuickOffice, Workplace for mobile, B Folders, Exchange by TouchDown),  Movies and TV show apps (Netflix, Hulu Plus), sports apps (ESPN ScoreCenter, Yahoo Sportacular), music apps (Pandora, Rhapsody) eReading apps (Read it later), games apps (Zynga, EA, Gameloft, PopCap, Rovio, Angry Bird), educational apps, cooking apps, news apps etc. etc.  Checkout the video below that shows how to search for and download apps to your Kindle Fire.
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        You can check out all the available apps on Amazon’s page titled ‘Kindle Fire Apps‘. This page is kind of hidden within Amazon, not easy to search and find. So click that link and bookmark it for future reference! Don’t forget to check out our list of best Kindle Fire apps!
      8. 1 Paid App free everyday – check out today’s FREE app here. This is a great feature, many apps that are priced over $10 have been given away for free. Given below are some of the categories of Applications available for the Kindle Fire. Click on the image to open the Fire App Store in a new window
        Different categories of Kindle Fire Apps
      9. Durable display – Extra resistant to scrapes and bumps (special chemically treated material that is 30 X harder and 20 X stiffer than plastic). Not just the display, but the Fire altogether has a firm and solid feel to it with a good weight. Certain other tablets, especially those with plastic ‘shells’, creak when you hold them. That was definitely NOT the case with the Fire.
      10. Anti-glare display – According to Amazon, the Kindle Fire has an anti-glare display. From our hands on experience, and as you can see from our videos, it has quite a bit of glare. I guess, it could have been worse if it wasn’t for the anti-glare display and may be that’s what they mean. Your TV has it, your computer monitor has it, the iPad has it and so does the Kindle Fire… a common feature of LCD screens.
      11. Amazon Silk, ultra-fast web browsing – the computing power required to load web content is split between the device and Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) system. This is a first! Not even Apple has anything like this yet! There is a ‘cloud-mode’ (under web > settings > advanced > accelerate page loading) and ‘off-cloud mode’. When you have the cloud-mode activated the ‘weight’ of loading a web-page is split between the Fire and the cloud which makes browsing ultra-fast! We’re not 100% convinced that Amazon Silk is ultra-fast, we certainly didn’t notice a difference of page load speed compared to that of the iPad 2.
      12. FREE cloud storage backup – makes its expandable memory capacity virtually ‘unlimited’ (unlimited storage for  Amazon content and 5GB storage for your other non-Amazon content)
      13. 14.6 ounces – that’s nearly half a pound lighter than the iPad2
      14. 7″ true widescreen – lighter and easier to hold with just one hand; stick it in your pocket; read one-handed and true widescreen (Kindle Fire is a 16:9 screen whereas iPad2 is a 4:3 screen). You can’t hold an iPad in one hand (unless you have giant hands that is), it’s too broad. In contrast, the Kindle Fire can be held in your palm relatively easily.
      15. Music – 17 million songs in the Amazon MP3 store (supports MP3 and Audible digital audio formats; comes with a 3.5mm stereo audio jack and stereo speakers – iPad2 speaker is mono, but headphones are stereo)
      16. Movies – over hundreds thousand movies? Now that might be a problem! How are you going to watch all those?
      17. TV shows – over 10,000 popular TV shows. The video below shows all the movies and TV shows that you can get access to.
      18. eBooks – over 1 million books in the Kindle store and more than 2 million free out-of-copyright books
      19. Whispersync synchronization – Whispersync delivers ebooks, music, TV shows and movies and also synchronize among other digital devices
      20. Supports Adobe Flash player – the iPad2 does NOT support Adobe Flash web content
      21. Email – of course! There are Apps that will synchronize all your email accounts
      22. micro (B) USB 2.0 port – to charge your Kindle via a computer and for data transfer!
      23. Media bookmarks – start where you left off
      24. 1 month free Amazon Prime – if you like it, it’s $79/year after the 2nd month ($79 is per YEAR). Amazon Prime  comes with FREE Kindle book borrowing from ‘Kindle Owners’ Lending Library’, unlimited streaming of 13,000 + TV shows and movies and FREE UNLIMITED 2-day shipping on millions of items sold on Amazon. So you can either get (or use already existing) Netflix/Hulu memberships and/or Amazon prime depending on what you plan to do on your Kindle Fire.
      25. It’s from Amazon!

Convinced that the Kindle Fire will Kindle your Fire?

Get your Kindle Fire right away by Clicking Here

(we constantly check for deals and update the above link with current offers, if available)

Order Kindle Fire

amazon kindle fire review

The last time we checked, there was also a 6 month financing offer with the Kindle Fire

6 month financing offer on the Amazon Fire

You will need to Add it to your cart and see if you qualify for this offer. We don’t know if everybody gets qualified for this offer or if the offer is valid at the time you are reading this.

Amazon Kindle Fire – The BAD

10 reasons why the Fire is not quite the iPad2!

It is NOT quite an iPad2. The Fire doesn’t have some of the high end hardware features of the Apple iPad, but then that’s also why you’re paying $300 less than what you would pay the entry level iPad2.

      1. Wi-Fi only – No 3G (The entry level iPad2 (priced $499) doesn’t come with 3G either. The cheapest iPad2 with 3G costs $629. So if you want 3G, you need to spend an additional $430 over the price of the Fire. Don’t forget that 3G also comes with a monthly subscription plan!) UPDATE: If you MUST have 3G, there is a workaround. Have you heard about this gadget (click to open a new window). People have been using this to get web access for years and it should work with the Kindle FIRE too whereever there is NO Wi Fi.
      2. Storage – The Kindle Fire’s on board memory is not too big at 8GB. This is actually NOT a big problem because you get unlimited free storage on Amazon cloud for Amazon content and an additional 5GB for your other non-Amazon content; however if you go camping where there is no Wi-Fi, you’re stuck with the 8GB of content that is already on there. According to Amazon “That’s enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books”. iPad2 has up to 64GB of storage, but it also costs up to $829! The entry level iPad2 (priced $499) comes with 16GB of internal storage. The Kindle Fire also has no MicroSD card slot, would have definitely been nice to have one!
      3. No camera or microphone – you can’t take pictures, shoot videos or record audio unlike with the iPad2. But then again, a lot of people are of the view that the 0.3MP and 0.7MP cameras of the iPad are not that good anyway, so in the end you’re not really losing a lot with the Kindle Fire. In fact, you will look a bit odd if you carry around your tablet computer making pictures and videos with it. However, a camera/mic would definitely have been nice for video chatting!
      4. 7″ display – that’s considerably smaller than the 9.7″ display of the iPad2. Even though 7″ and 9.7″ doesn’t sound like a big difference (err.. we’re talking about tablet screens here) it actually is if you think about the square area. A 4″ X 4″ square has 16 square inches while a 6″ X 6″ square gives 36 square inches. See the difference of square area the extra 2 inches gave rise to? More than 100%! Similarly, the 7″ Kindle Fire has approximately half the viewing area of the 9.7″ iPad2 (the values picked above 4X4 and 6X6 are purely for informational purposes to make it easy to understand – this is in response to some comments that pointed out that neither screen is square. The Kindle Fire display is approximately half that of the iPad2 – that’s the take home message!)
      5. 8 hours battery life – vs 10 hours on the iPad2. Again, my iPad2 never lasts 10 hours and don’t be surprised if the Kindle Fire doesn’t last the full 8 hours either. I seems to get about 7.5 hours on average, but there was one time when it only lasted about 6 hours when I used the speakers at full blast over a couple of movies. If you watch a lot of movies with the volume turned on high and/or have wireless turned on for prolonged periods, the chances are that the battery will not last as long as they say it would (would be the same case with any multimedia tablet).
      6. Less Apps than the iPad2 – but then again, not everybody makes use of all 140,000+ Apps available to the iPad2
      7. No Bluetooth – there is no microphone, so you wouldn’t need it anyway
      8. No GPS or maps – this would have been really handy
      9. The power button at the bottom – some people are apparently bothered by the fact that the power button is on the bottom edge of the Fire. So basically if you lay the bottom edge on a table or on your lap, the Kindle Fire will automatically power off/hybernate. There is a simple solution to that – flip the Fire by 180 degrees and the screen would automatically rotate 180 degrees and now the power switch is on the top and chances of you pressing it accidentally are minimal to none.
      10. No hardware button/wheel for volume control – some people seem to complain about the LACK of a hardware volume control. When you need to change volume, you need to go to settings and change volume using the touch screen. We personally didn’t find this annoying, but we agree that it would have been convenient to have one.

What’s UGLY about the Kindle Fire?

3G, camera, microphone, Bluetooth, GPS, longer battery life, larger on board storage, microSD card slot, HDMI out with a core i7 processor and 4GB RAM would have been awesome, but could Amazon have squeezed in all these features at $199?

Seriously, we don’t think there’s anything UGLY about Amazon’s Kindle Fire. You just can’t expect a $200 tablet to do the same stuff a $500+ tablet is capable of.

Convinced that the Kindle Fire will Kindle your Fire?

Get your Kindle Fire right away by Clicking Here

(we constantly check for deals and update the above link with current offers, if available)

Order Kindle Fire

amazon kindle fire review

If you really want all those features for a lower price point, we recommend you check out the Acer Iconia Tab. It has some really nice hardware features (e.g. 10.1” HD Multi-Touch Display, 1GB DDR2 Memory, 16GB on board memory, MicroSD memory card up to 32GB, Dual Analog Microphone, Bluetooth, 1X Micro USB 2.0 Port, 1X USB 2.0 Port, 1X Micro HDMI™ Out, 5MP Rear Facing Camera with Auto Focus and single LED flash, 2MP Front Facing Camera, G-Sensor, E-Compass, L-Sensor, and a Gyro-meter) for about $150 more (on sale at the time of writing). But be aware that you won’t get Amazon’s content ecosystem with the Acer Iconia Tab.

Hope It’s going to be an easy decision from now onwards!

      1. Did our Amazon Kindle Fire review convince you that it in fact is the right tablet computer for you? Find out MORE about the Kindle Fire here.
      2. Think an iPad2 will suit you better? Checkout the different versions of the iPad2 here!
      3. Or would you rather settle for an Amazon Kindle Touch? Read our ereader reviews and especially our Amazon Kindle Touch Review.

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Don’t forget to read about the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. When you purchase an Amazon Prime membership, you get to access the Kindle Owners’ Lending library which lets you borrow thousands of books for free. Read all about it below.

Leave A Reply (137 comments So Far)


five × = 25


  1. Dion

    Thanks for the review. Kinda sucks because I just read that Adobe announced that they will not be supporting the mobile market anymore so I guess HTML5 won out. I own am Android phone and I try to remain impartial on the whole Android vs Apple (operating system) argument. It just seems to me that the pro Andriod folks are so vocal about selling us their product that the facts get clouded end up becoming nothing but an Apple bashing. I was told once that the the more vocal competitor is the one that’s inferior and will rely on propaganda to win. However, a bunch of my friends have changed over to Apple and are very satisfied, (thanks to this article) I’m now convinced on what I should buy. I’ll buy a Kindle fire…for my nine and 11 year old kids, and I’ll get myself an iPad. The selling point; stripped down price…the hidden fact; stripped down iPad, Xoom, Nook or whatever premium tablet out there. Thanks for the impartiality!!!

    Congrats you still got me to buy two of them though.


  2. David Bennett

    This review was so well done, very imformative for a 75 year old senior like me. One question,, does it still have the E ink display for text from books? This is far superior to Ipad display.
    Thank you.


    • bereview

      No sir! Afraid not! The Kindle Fire has an LCD display just like the iPad. The Kindle DX is the only eReader with a larger screen and E-ink display. Right now, anything E-ink is essentially black and white. So you cannot watch videos/color photos on an E-ink screen. Hope that answered your question.


  3. DAN DRISCOLL

    I found your review very helpful and informative. You have helped me make up my Mind, I will opt for the fire. The $199. Will be best for my needs in these economic times (I’m on a fixed income!) Thank you.


  4. george donatello

    helpful


  5. Hector

    Thanks for the review, now I know what to get, I’m going to get the kindle fire


  6. Nancy

    Thanks for the info. Already ordered the fire and think I did the right thing. this is a graduation from a kindle2/ itouch
    Combo. Looking forward to the change!


  7. sonia

    The review was great, and is really very informative. I just want to ask, can you do Facebook on Kindle Fire? Can you upload photos immediately to your FB granted you can do your FB there? Is there a USB port for a flash drive or memory stick? I justw want to make sure before I will order mine. Thanks.


    • bereview

      Great question! Thanks!

      Amazon released an announcement the other day saying “Facebook, Pandora, Netflix, Rhapsody, Games from Electronic Arts, Zynga and Rovio, and Several Thousand More Apps and Games……”

      Can you upload pics directly from the Kindle Fire? I assume the App can do at least that. But we can let you know once we get our Fire delivered on the 16-17th for sure!

      Yes there is a USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) port. Go here, do a CTRL+F (ctrl + find) and type USB and you will see it. You should also be able to transfer stuff via the free cloud storage – FIRE to cloud wirelessly and from Cloud to your computer – or the reverse direction – just guessing right now!


  8. Donna

    Yes,this review was the most useful ive read yet.
    They compair it to the ipad often but never really say what you are missing for the money.I wanted a tablet for my ADHD 4 year old for learning games and of course for myself.I already have a smart phone and lap top so i dont need web cam,phone capabilities or a camera,i just wanted it to work as well as my phone or better for apps,web and movies never hurts with kids.
    Thanks for the info,im going with the kindle fire.


  9. Abe

    Nice review. Good to see that you were highlighting the bad points and not just talking it up. I am not in the market for either tablet at the moment, but your review was informative and an interesting read. Good job.


  10. Sue O

    This is a great review. I have a Kindle Fire on order. I was looking for something that would be a larger version of my IPod Touch but at an affordable price. I will still store my music catalog on my Touch.


  11. Dee Sheerer

    Definitely more interested in the Kindle Fire after this review! Thanks


  12. Hoot

    Excellent Review! This gives me a succinct overview of both products and provides most of the data I need to make my purchase decision. Reading the comments and your replies filled in the rest of the blanks. Thank you for the great review.


  13. alex

    THANKS FOR THE AMAZING REVIEW I just ordered the kindle fire I am 12 years old and in 9th grade I hold the reading award for every grade except the ones i skiped the fire will surely continue that.:)


  14. Daniel R Carlson

    It’s sort of hard to make a review or even a comparison of a product when the product isn’t even available yet…But “pound for pound” the Kindle Fire offers a LOT more than an iPad would at the same price (if Apple would ever try competing in the market rather than marking everything up like they do). If there was an iPad at less than 200 bucks, it certainly wouldn’t have much.

    So thanks Amazon for being competitive and for offering a quality product with enough bells and whistles for most users! About a week, and I’ll be watching movies on my new Kindle Fire!!


  15. Jason

    On the iPAD2, can you record lectures with it? I see that there is not microphone on the fire!


    • bereview

      Yes Jason! You can – check out this App Audio Memos 2 – The Voice Recorder


  16. 420 out

    Hi, I just wanted to say a few things.
    First off, the Ipad is good, but if you want an AFFORDABLE device I suggest going with any of these:
    Kindle Fire or Nook Tablets look amazing for what you get, and only 200-250$
    If you want a more advanced tablet then you should aim for the lenovo ideapad or the toshiba thrive. Now these two will cost you around 350$ but their more advanced.
    All in all, do I think the Ipad is worth it? Well if you can afford an 550$+ device then shoot for it. If your like me and your on a limited budget but want to get the best out of the tablet aim for something low like the Kindle fire or nook tablets that are still GREAT but not as advanced.
    Ipad2s give more updates and have a bigger app store of course, with well over 400,000 apps from games, to cooking guides, to GPS, etc.
    The ipad2 is a great device, its just well over expensive. My school has around 30 of them, i’ve used them, their extremely fast on the internet but I was 30 feet near a router.
    You can take pictures, edit them with heat vision, fat mirrors or slim mirrors, etc.
    Let me end this saying: If you want a great device and you only have around 250$ this is the choice for you.


  17. NEK

    Oh one last Point.
    Please date your articles.
    Its always a pain doing searches and having no reference as to when you article was written or updated.

    Best Regards


    • bereview

      Point taken! Thanks!


  18. NEK

    Ah I did not realise the aspect ratios were not 16:9. Never really paid attention to that.

    WARNING ABOUT YOUR MATH EXAMPLE that prompted my comparison.

    4×4 to 6×6 = a greater than 2x difference, Right, 16vs 36
    BUT
    a 10×10 vs a 12×12 DOES NOT! 100vs144

    Both are just arbitrary numbers from thin air but have the same difference of 2 between the base values.

    some more Stats:
    7″ 4:3 vs 9.7″ 4:3 = 39% smaller or 92% more surface or 48% smaller.
    or
    a 7″ 16:9 compared to a 9.7″ 4:3 is 115% larger and 53% smaller.
    (since I am not sure what the kindle is I did both)


    • bereview

      You got me there buddy! Let’s wait till Nov 17th to sort this out for good :)


  19. NEK

    Lets look at #4 of the Cons.

    A) 16×9 screens aren’t a square.
    B) comparing a 4×4 square and a 6×6 square? Really, why not a 7×7 and 9.7, well it doesn’t matter see A
    C) You would word it either
    1. The kindle is 47% smaller in area
    or
    2. The ipad is 92% larger.

    My assumptions and calculations are that they are 16:9 screens and that sizes stated are actual visible screen.

    I own the Ipad, I will have a fire soon. I honestly hold no preference to which is better. Between the wife and I each will have its own place in our house.


    • bereview

      Appreciate your comment NEK.

      4X4 and 6X6 were just examples picked to make it easy to understand for the average reader. When I get my Fire, I will make the actual square area calculation and post it!

      BTW iPad2 is 4:3 NOT 16:9 while FIRE I think is 16:9

      FYI iPad2 display is approximately 5.875″ X 7.75″ = 45.5 square inches
      Will update as soon as we have a value for the Fire

      Thanks again for taking time to make the comment. Helps us improve this review!


  20. Greg

    Decent review. My question is have you guys actually gotten to hold and use one for your comparison?


    • bereview

      iPad2 YES
      Fire – will have within a few days after the launch!


  21. Kathy Cline

    This gives me the info I needed to answer my questions about whether the combined resources of a Kindle Fire and an iphone will do for me what I need to have done. The good news is–probably! I’m excited to see the Fire’s resolution, happy about the lighter weight and the Cloud access. This is gonna be fun.


  22. lilinoe

    Do they both read out loud?


    • bereview

      Only the iPad2 – it’s called VoiceOver an accessibility feature
      The Kindle Fire doesn’t :(


  23. ian c

    great review. pity I can,t get my hands on one yet as I live in Scotland.
    I am amazed at the difference in price of all Kindles between America and U.K.
    we are just being ripped off


  24. Jeannette Bonner

    I do not always understand all this tech buzz, but with the comparison (which my son did explain to me in a techy way), I was able to put the pieces together. I think I could really have an affair with Kindle Fire, but I must say that I am a little disappointed that there was no GPS/mapping. I thought I could dump one of my othe electronic devises (TOM-TOM). Maybe I can mapquest instead via email.

    I just purchased a Kindle 3-G last year…guess I will need to make arrangements for a new home for it if I get the Kindle Fire for Xmas. I really find the Kindles very convenient. They fit in almost any handbag that I carry. Thanks a heap.


  25. Fred Higgins

    Well, there’s no question! It’s Kindle Fire for me. ( The deal with my wife is that she gets my old Kindle ) So I won’t be able to take photos, or browse when there’s no WiFi. I guess that’s why I’ll still carry my iPhone4. But my Kindle has always been my reading device, and for just $199… Color! Touchscreen! the Web! Can’t wait til my birthday (coming soon) The only nagging question is: how easy will it be to transfer my current Kindle content to the new machine, and can I wipe everything on the old one and give it to the wife? That’s probably easy to do. Any details?


  26. Aazam

    there are a couple of things wrong with your review:
    “Amazon Kindle Fire – 25 Reasons to fall in love with it!:
    2.Powerful processor – 1GB Dual-Core processor and 512 MB RAM (just like the iPad2)” you mean 1 Ghz(gigahertz) not 1GB (gigabyte) as a processor cannot have storage size.
    4. 7″ display – that’s considerably smaller than the 9.7″ display of the iPad2. Your math is so wrong! 7″ is the diagonal and not an edge so you have to do your math again.


    • bereview

      Thank you Aazam. Yes 1GB was a genuine mistake, will correct that asap.

      As for 7 vs 9.7 I don’t think I got it wrong. Both are diagonals. THis is what I said.

      7″ display – that’s considerably smaller than the 9.7″ display of the iPad2. Even though 7″ and 9.7″ doesn’t sound like a big difference (err.. we’re talking about tablet screens here) it actually is if you think about the square area. A 4″ X 4″ square has 16 square inches while a 6″ X 6″ square gives 36 square inches. See the difference of square area the extra 2 inches gave rise to? More than 100%! Similarly, the 7″ Kindle Fire has approximately half the viewing area of the 9.7″ iPad2.


  27. Grace

    The review is great. You have shared information in simple terms that we seniors can understand. I’ve already pre-ordered, but I do have a couple of the same questions that Mary asked. I love to listen to audio books.

    Do they both read aloud?

    Can I download library books on the Kindle Fire too?

    Thanks for the informative review!


    • bereview

      Afraid not Grace, only the iPad2 can do it!
      This is the answer I gave someone else

      Only the iPad2 – it’s called VoiceOver an accessibility feature
      The Kindle Fire doesn’t :(


  28. shell

    Anti-glare screen doesn’t address reading in sunlight. Is the Fire backlit to be able to read outdoors?


  29. Don Nguyen

    Thank you for your detail review. It’s really help me to help other people when they ask me for the advice. I own a Kindle (2nd generation) and love it, I trust Amazon for their product and service, as an Amazon prime member I save a lot of money, free movies, free shipping…. Thank you Amazon!, The different of the price between the Ipad and the Kindle Fire I can use that money and buy me a Galaxy Nexus. I like Apple product also ( I have an Ipod touch) but with this kind of economy you really have to think to make your money worth every penny you spend.
    Again thank you for the great review.


  30. Donna Marie

    This was an excellent review for my needs. It cleared up a lot of confusion on my part. Thank you.


  31. Mike

    Great review. I am going to grab a Kindle Fire as soon as I can get my hands on one.

    Thank you for all of your hard work and straight comparisons.

    Mike


    • bereview

      Thank you all for the lovely comments! We really appreciate that and will continue to do our best!


  32. Touch

    Awesome review I was going back and forth with a decision to purchase an Ipad2 or a Kindle fire. I am still going to purchase an Ipad2 due to my husband being deployed and we use skkype alot so the camera on the Ipad will b useful. But I am going to purchase a Kindle Fire for my son….


  33. Jerry ford

    Excellent! Gave me info needed to make my choice. If correct, the Kindle gives me what I wanted.


  34. Michelle

    This review was really helpful. It explained in simple terms what you will get with the Kindle Fire and what you will not get. I’m sold. It’s so worth it at that price point.


  35. haikutaxi

    Great review listing plus and minus considerations. I have already pre-ordered the Kindle Fire and sincerely hope that it meets my expectations … it sounds almost too good to be true!


  36. sue

    lOVED THE REVIEW. i JUST ORDERED THE AMAZON FIRE AND THIS INFORMTION CONFIRMED I HAVE MADE THE CORRECT DECISION.


  37. Jana Fogg

    I did. thanks for the review. I am thinking the kindle fire is going to be my Christmas present!!


  38. Sharon

    Thanks!! I have been trying to decide between a Kindle Fire and an Ipad2 and this info has been really great. Still thinking about it but for the money the Kindle Fire is really looking good! But this has been the best review I’ve found yet; so thanks again!! :)


  39. AmanPAL

    Very nice review buddy about k fire…
    But the bottom line is that iPad not have Anti-glare display….

    So what i think you should comparison K-fire with nook also ..
    don’t get me wrong .. this is my opinion..


  40. Deborah Healey

    I thought this website and the description of the kindle fire vs. other options was great. I have three children and am thinking of Christmas presents and I like the idea of having the ability to carry a smaller item and still be able to brouse the web. Thanks for your help. Now I just have to come up with the money x 3.


  41. Dinah Boatwright

    Loved the review, answered a lot of questions for me. I loved the comparison format.


  42. Sid Koloc

    Review was informative, but the question of whether I’d be able to print from the Kindle Fire was not addressed. Also the question of whether I’d have to purchase a wireless router was not covered either.


    • bereview

      Thank you Sid for two great questions!

      Wireless router – yes you need one because the Fire doesn’t support 3G. You will need a wireless router to get it connected to Wi-Fi.
      Wireless printing – You should be able to using PrinterShare app. However, I can’t confirm that for sure because none of us have had our hands on the Kindle Fire yet. But most likely, the answer is yes!
      Thanks again!


  43. Jarod

    thanks i was questioning about getting a coby but now im getting a fire


  44. anson uy

    hi,

    i am an avid book reader and am quite interested in getting a kindle fire.

    i am currently residing in the philippines, southeast asia to be exact. what are its implications with regards to using the cloud storage? and should i get the $79 account, would it work here?


    • bereview

      Hi Anson,

      I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to this question. If anybody does, please help us out here!
      Thanks!


  45. ed alpers

    great review really helps us older folks trying to stay up with this technology..


  46. Jack Burns

    I thought this was an excellent review. I liked the way you clearly laid out the ipad feature compare..
    I give you 5 stars. Thanks.


  47. mary

    thanks — a good, compact review, but i didn’t see these points covered:

    do they both read aloud?

    can i download library books on kindle too?

    can i buy an app for kindle, then delete and store it online until i want it later? i can do this with my itouch on itunes –very handy for a grandmother when the little ones visit.


    • bereview

      Thank you everybody for the comments, much appreciated. And thank you Mary for your suggestions, going through a bit of a busy period right now and will definitely update the review with the points you suggest. Again, really appreciated and keep ‘em coming!


  48. Rochelle

    Yes this information helped me out a lot. This actually has persuaded me in my decision on what I am going to by now. I am going to by the kindle fire. It has everything I want on it for the price that is not to expensive at all.
    Thank You


  49. Lucas

    So it’s not a ipad killer based on your review. Kind of shucks because I was thinking I could buy a Kindle Fire instead of a ipad2 this Christmas! well… I will have to think more now!!


  50. chitarra

    Hi, this is a great review on the FIRE! Amazon is ready to Kindle my Fire! I’ve already pre-ordered mine before I read this. Now I KNOW I made the right decision. Thanks for confirming!