What did not like
Lack of a webcam, memory card slot, 3g.
What we liked
Nice and beautiful body, protected Gorilla Glass, very responsive display (capacitive), two cores, flash support, very fast browser, Qualitatively assembled, IPS matrix, Excellent battery, not scratched, clear screen, price.
What did not like
Lack of keys, camera, GPS, bluetools, microphone. 8 GB memory is not enough, and there is no card slot. The set is weak, but I already had everything at home, a cord and an adapter for a Russian outlet.
What we liked
IPS screen, decent hardware, easily rutted and stitched! The battery holds well. The case is well assembled and weighs as much as I need. The price is ridiculous.
What did not like
there is no russification, or rather it is there, but after it the bugs are wild, 8GB of memory, no camera, 3g,
What we liked
first of all, high-quality stereo speakers, ipc matrix, gorilla glass, good performance, adequate price, powerful 4400mah battery, rubberized case, very convenient built-in reader, it's a pity just not working, the proprietary browser also pleased.
What did not like
If you do not use Amazon services, then it is better to look at something else. In Russia, problems will appear with the purchase, starting from the outlet. Here's a list of the problems:
1. registration of your device on Amazon, if you do not have a plastic card issued in the USA and other countries, then you will not be able to use the content of Amazon;
2.The functionality of the built-in browser is extremely low, it will not be possible to expand the page, etc.
3. to watch movies, you need to convert them to mpg4, you will not be able to maximize the screen when watching.
4. Viewing PDF files is inconvenient.
5. resources for Android are not available.
What we liked
Qualitatively made
What did not like
It's strange that everyone speaks well of this model.
The equipment is poor
Chips box.
The tablet itself is very poor, that is, it is aimed at 2-3 tasks-Read, Movies, Internet.
And it does not cope with them very well, for example, not all films are shown without formatting, which causes great inconvenience.
It is impossible to add memory (which is sooo little)
What we liked
The screen burned. Lightweight back rubberized panel. Flash is not a bad reader.
What did not like
1) No memory card slot
2) No camera and microphone
3) For firmware version 4 android - I had to pay $ 12 = 100 UAH, because I myself had no desire to dig into the firmware and experiment
4) Country of origin - China (although this is a disadvantage or not, right now it is no longer a fact)
5) there is no cable for connecting to a computer
6) there is no instruction - although, in fact, it is not needed for an android
7) the on and off button is at the bottom, which leads to its accidental presses - this problem is solved by a cover for UAH 100 = $ 12
8) in fact, there was 1 GB of free memory for programs and 5 GB of flash memory
What we liked
1) Nimble 2 cores of 1000 MHz and 512 operatives - make it an airplane in android applications 2) A good screen, a matrix with good viewing angles and color saturation (IPS) 3) Cheap $ 201 = 1631 UAH and this is already in Ukraine 4) Easy was stitched with Android 4 version 5) Charging is enough for 1-2 days, depending on the intensity of use 6) all android applications function normally on it without any complaints 7) the screen sensor is normal and works flawlessly 8) The build quality is normal nothing will hold everything together 9) The sound is worthy of 2 speakers, although there is essentially no stereo.
What did not like
There is no volume control button, not very convenient standard firmware, it does not go without flashing the Google market, but a third-party market with free applications was installed without problems. I put up with the firmware, tk. there was no desire to reflash.
What we liked
An excellent tablet, it costs a penny, I took it for 5000 from the USA + shipping 10 bucks. Rubberized body, loud speaker, nimble!
What did not like
no memory card slot, no USB host
What we liked
IPS screen, hardware, price
What did not like
Tight firmware (it's still an e-book).
To use all the possibilities, you need to install applications downloaded from the network.
There is no adapter for the network (220V).
There is no cable for connecting to a computer.
Does not work in Russia Amazon store.
The sound in the headphones is in the top three (compared to advanced players). But no worse than in the galaxy tab, for example.
After a year of use, the charging connector broke down and now you can throw out the device.
What we liked
Holds the battery for a long time. Allows you to play most android games. Allows you to watch movies. Well done. Great screen and picture quality.
What did not like
All Amazon.com services do not work in Ukraine, namely 6 GB, they are really enough for several movies and a couple of good games, there is no SD expansion slot, there is no 3g modem, there are no volume controls on the case, Skype can be used initially only as a chat, in order to use it fully, you need to reflash and hack, there is no Home button, in short, the type of photo frame, in the package there is NO CABLE DATE !!!
What we liked
The screen is like in an Ipad, juicy bright and very sensitive, playing games is just a thrill. The sound is normal, the applications are not dull, quite smart. PRICE $ 200 in the states (because I took it there, in Ukraine, alas, they ask for $ 50 more) You don't need to do any jailbreak or root to install applications.
What did not like
3G. it is missing. but even this is not the main thing, the computer-to-computer WIFI connection does not work. this is depressing. and there is no more wealth, some complain that there is not enough memory, but the more information you upload to the gadget, the less you use it .......... it's like what it would be. I do not think that someone will read 10-20 books at the same time .........
Not every product entering the market generates a wave of discussion. In announcing its first tablet reader, Amazon did the right thing by not naming its characteristics right away. Only one thing was known - the price would be low. The device became expected, the number of pre-orders was impressive. It is now the second best-selling after iPads. Is he really that good?
The most important thing is to say right away - the cost. Officially, on Amazon, it is $ 199. Will this not go to the detriment of quality?
Appearance
The small box that the tablet comes in is made from recycled cardboard. Color printing is only on the "wrapper" here, everything else is extremely environmentally friendly and green. Amazon did not even print the 458-page manual, but placed the manual in electronic form in the tablet's memory. Hipsters and vegetarians clap their hands. The number one useful savings.
The box is opened like processed cheese, revealing a black rectangle carefully packed in cellophane. In addition to it, the box contains only an insert with brief instructions for the tablet and a charger with an American plug. Neither a microUSB cable for connecting to a PC nor headphones are included. Good or not, you decide.
The design of the device can be described in two words - simplicity and versatility. The seven-inch tablet is made in black colors. The main, back part of the case is a soft-touch matte soft-touch plastic. In the middle there is a relaxed kindle emblem, embossed into the plastic. Below is an inconspicuous Amazon logo.
The dimensions for a gadget with such a screen diagonal are small - 190 × 120 × 11.4 mm. All this stuff weighs 413 grams.
The front panel is completely covered with Gorilla Glass, slightly recessed into the body due to the glossy plastic frame around the body. There is only a seven-inch screen on it. Its frames are not symmetrical, the lower one is a couple of millimeters wider. This helps to immediately take the device in the right position.
An interesting fact is that Nokia N9, which had the smallest number of buttons (which is three), is now not the leader in this parameter. There is only one button on the Kindle Fire! The manufacturer decided to abandon not only the touch keys, but even the seemingly necessary volume rocker. All sound control is carried out through the OS interface. They left only the power button, and even that was stuck in a place that was completely unusual for her - on the lower edge. There it is adjacent to micro USB and 3.5 mm connectors.
It also contains an LED that blinks green when the button is pressed and glows orange while the device is charging.
The top edge, unlike the side ones, is not empty. It houses stereo speakers, neatly covered with a mesh. Looking ahead, I will say that they will not deafen the owner with a loud sound, but in a room their volume is quite enough.
In general, the design of the device cannot be called recognizable, but at the same time, you cannot say that it is boring. Rather sustained. Many people compare it to the Blackberry Playbook and are partly right, since the question of appearance was not dealt with by its own studio Lab 126, but by the ODM manufacturer Quanta, which also worked on the aforementioned Playbook. Another way to reduce the cost of the device.
The assembly is especially pleasing. Usually, cheap technology suffers from this. In my sample, you can only find fault with the squeak when you click on the left edge of the device. However, I caught this creak only after carefully gripping the tablet, in everyday use I never noticed it.
Filling
The main question before the release of the tablet was what will be inside it. And Amazon hasn't been shattered. I'll repeat the price first. One hundred ninety nine US dollars. Now read carefully.
Dual-core processor Texas Instruments OMAP 4430, one gigahertz and PowerVR SGX 540 graphics. This is a far from budget bundle that will cope with all the tasks that this product should perform with a bang. The only thing with which he has some difficulty is memory. The amount of RAM here is average for today - 512 megabytes. We can say that this is already an acceptable minimum for the Android OS. The internal one is also not a lot - eight gigabytes, of which exactly six and a half are available to the user. The problem is that everything ends on the internal memory. A slot for memory cards is simply not provided, this was done due to the "cloudiness" of the tablet.
In the synthetic test, the Quadrant Kindle Fire scored 1433 points, in the Antutu Benchmark - 5231. When installing a third-party player, the tablet easily copes with 720p video.
Since the tablet was primarily positioned as a means for viewing content, the screen in it was supposed to contribute to this. Amazon made the right decision and installed a seven-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels in its first non-E-Ink reader. The pixel density is 169 ppi, due to this the image does not look grainy.
Colors and viewing angles are two of the strengths of IPS technology. The screen is very pleasant, does not hurt the eyes with acid shades. What you need for reading in the case of using traditional matrix technologies. One can only complain about the display coating, which, although resistant to scratches, loves to collect fingerprints.
The responsiveness of the screen is good, there is no need to duplicate clicks. The capacitive sensor supports up to two simultaneous clicks.
For communication with the outside world, the Fire uses only a Wi-Fi class b / g / n module. Amazon decided not to equip the tablet with Bluetooth, 3G or GPS. Also, you will not find a camera and a microphone in the device. According to the manufacturer, they are simply not needed for the tasks assigned to the device.
The tablet can run on a 4400mAh battery for approximately eight hours in book mode with Wi-Fi off. If you watch a video at 50% brightness and at the same time keep Wi-Fi on, then the tablet will last about five and a half hours from the charge.
Amazon Kindle Fire Specifications
- Dimensions: 192 x 120 x 12.4 mm
- The weight: 414 g
- Operating system: Android 2.3
- CPU: TI OMAP 4430 1GHz PowerVR SGX540 Graphics Accelerator
- Display: IPS, 7 ″, 1024 × 600 pixels, 169 ppi
- Memory: 8 GB flash
- RAM: 512 MB
- Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n
- Interface connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, microUSB
- Battery: Li-Ion, 4400 mAh
Software
Initially, it was said that the tablet will run Android, from which only horns and legs will remain. That is, the core will remain from the system, and Amazon will remake everything else to suit its needs. In the end, Amazon simply rewrote the user interface, making it a consumer interface.
At the very beginning, the tablet meets us with a request to connect to the Internet and enter your profile data on Amazon. After greeting the user, a brief briefing on the tablet menu awaits and that's it, you can use it.
The lock screen here is made according to the “Slide to unlock” principle, that is, to unlock, you need to drag the horizontal slider from one end to the other. In addition to the slider itself, the user can see the time, date and wallpaper. The background cannot be changed to your own, it changes cyclically after each unlocking of the device. It is worth saying that Amazon did their best here. The available images are pleasant and not annoying.
All menus can be divided into four parts: notification panel, category selection bar, carousel and control panel. There are no desktops or widgets. Outwardly, everything resembles, of course, a bookshelf. Let's go in order.
The notification panel is called by tapping on the top of the screen. If these notifications are not there, then the user sees hotkeys of the settings: lock screen orientation, the notorious volume, brightness, Wi-Fi networks, synchronization and the "More" button. Clicking on it opens the settings menu, which also fell under the knife of the corporation. Surprisingly, with the release of the new firmware, even the ability to automatically adjust the backlight disappeared from the screen options. All the "variety" of parameters that can be configured can be seen in the screenshot below.
Next we have a choice of category. A news shelf, books, music, videos, documents, apps, and the web are available. When you select a category, the sorted content type is displayed on the shelf. It is noteworthy that in addition to standard filters, a choice of storage is also available - internal memory or the cloud. From any point other than the web, you can directly go to the corresponding section of the store.
The store is a separate topic. To use it, you need to link a suitable credit card to your account, and the catch is that Amazon doesn't like Ukrainian cards. And all would be fine, but even downloading free Angry Birds from a user without a "correct" credit card will not work. And since the Android Market has been replaced here by the Amazon App Store, the installation of applications for the domestic consumer is already quite inconvenient. But all the same, given the amount of software in the Amazon store, we can safely say that users will still install “other people's” applications. Well at least it's allowed.
If, however, you have installed your own set of software, then there is one more nuance. The menu of opened applications is presented in the form of a carousel that scrolls horizontally. Beneath it are the editable favorites shelves. All standard apps downloaded from the App Store have beautiful, redrawn icons, and some even show a thumbnail of their last state. If the application was installed by the user and before that it was downloaded from a regular market, then it cuts the eye with a stretched icon.
At the right moment, a strip with control keys is displayed below, which duplicate those in Android or automatically adjust to the open application.
And all would be fine, but there is no Russian or Ukrainian languages in Fire and is not close. And the point here concerns not only the system language, but also the keyboard. It is clear that there are hacks from the craftsmen and this should be fixed with the release of the update, but now the situation out of the box is deplorable.
Since Google Apps is not here, all standard applications have been replaced with analogues. Due to the fact that there are few of them, on the whole it turned out pretty good.
This is where His Majesty Android comes in. After manipulating root access, the user can install Cyanogen Mod 7 and get a tablet on full Android 2.3, and soon on the coveted Ice Cream Sandwich.
Kindle
Fire is part of the Kindle family for a reason, so reading is worth highlighting.
All books are available in the category filter of the same name in the main menu. From the settings, you can select the size and type of font, line spacing, indents from the edge of the screen and background color. As for me, the settings are enough to make reading personally convenient.
Fast navigation, bookmarks and notes are available.
List of available formats: KF8, AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI, DOC, DOCX.
Books, of course, are supposed to be bought in the Amazon store, so there is no support for the fb2 format. You can get out of the situation either by converting content, or by installing a third-party application.
Silk
The browser also stands out as it is cloud-based in Fire. This means that everything works according to the principle familiar from the mobile version of the Opera browser. After the user clicks on the link, the data first goes to the Amazon server, where it is processed and in a “chewed” form is delivered to the destination. It is worth noting that American sites (in particular amazon.com) really open quickly. With all the rest, I did not feel any significant changes in the download speed. The browser is built on WebKit, just like Google Chrome.
The browser has an analogue of Speed Dial from the same Opera, supports tabs, Flash, Java Script and can disguise itself as a desktop one. Naturally, there are no problems with downloading data and watching streaming video.
I didn't really like the way Silk formats the text when zoomed in. Often, after a double tap on the text, after enlarging, you have to scroll the image to the desired area. But in general, very good.
conclusions
The Amazon Kindle Fire has definitely influenced the market. Pre-orders showed how expected the device was, and subsequent sales show that the device was a success. There is simply no better spoon for content consumption from digital industry giant Amazon. But is it worth paying attention to the gadget for the domestic user? If you are ready to use the device for its intended purpose and you are not confused by the lack of the Russian language, then no doubt. If you are a geek with an overclocker mindset - to squeeze out the maximum for a minimum of funds, who is not too lazy to sit in manuals for a couple of evenings and get a full-fledged tablet at the exit - then yes. But if you are looking for an e-book, then it would be better to buy it, since the Kindle Fire is still more an interesting tablet than a reader.
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25.02.2012 / Alexander NagornovSince last summer, there have been many rumors about the release of a budget tablet computer. Amazon Kindle Fire based on OS Android. Someone considered the next brainchild from Amazon.com just another e-book, only in expensive clothes. On the one hand, it is so. But on the other hand, is it really impossible for an advanced e-reader equipped with the far from the weakest 2-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz to be awarded the title of "tablet"? As it turned out, it is not possible, but necessary!
Amazon Kindle Fire started on November 15 last year. On the very first day, over 95 thousand devices were ordered. Someone predicts that the Kindle Fire will be able to compete with the iPad. Others argue the opposite. First, let's figure out what constitutes the first tablet computer from Amazon.com.
Dimensions and screen
Touch screen with IPS-matrix in 16 million colors and a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. protected from damage by Gorilla Glass, known worldwide for the highest reliability (30 times stronger than plastic). The LCD screen and the IPS-matrix are immediately striking, thanks to which, even at large viewing angles, distortion will not be observed.
On the one hand, the compact dimensions are 7.5 "x 4.7" (19 x 12 cm) with a thickness of 11.4 mm. and a 7-inch diagonal can be called a plus. The device fits comfortably in the hand, which cannot be said about the iPad. The Kindle Fire weighs just 414 grams versus 613 grams for the iPad. This is where the problem lies. For a long time in one hand you will not be able to hold it. It is more convenient to put it on your knees, but then 7 inches will not be quite enough.
Another disadvantage of the 7-inch diagonal is the Internet. Try to find sites that are tailored for 7-inch screens. One, two, and missed. Constantly scrolling, scrolling pages left and right, up and down ... not very convenient.
Specifications
CPU. The 1 GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor copes with the tasks with more than a bang. Surfing the web, watching movies, reading books and listening to music will not be accompanied by slow work and periodic "freezes" of the device.
RAM.
The tablet has 512 MB of RAM. The indicator for today is very mediocre, because many competitors have already equipped their devices with 1 GB of RAM.Flash memory. The built-in memory of 8 GB will not be enough. Musical portable devices even have a memory of 16-32 GB or more. The 8 GB, of which the user has access to just over 6 GB, can fit an average of 80 applications, 10 movies, 800 songs or 6,000 books. Even the free 16 GB provided on the Amazon cloud cannot be called life-saving. After all, the connection is carried out exclusively via WiFi. Now, if there was 3G support, the conversation would be completely different. And so, despondency and disappointment.
Supported file formats. Supported file types: Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8. This set will be quite enough for an ordinary "unsophisticated" user. It's worth noting that the Amazon Kindle Fire supports Flash. It will soon be replaced by HTML5, but so far Flash is used almost everywhere.
Battery. A full charge of the battery should be enough for 8 hours of reading and 7.5 hours of watching video files. From these data, it can be assumed that the Kindle Fire will last about 10-11 hours while listening to music. It will take about 4 hours to fully charge the battery.
Features of web surfing. Based on the words of Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, Amazon Silk browser can be awarded the title of "fastest mobile browser in the world." The division of work between the tablet itself (responsible for text, block structure) and Amazon EC2 cloud servers (under their wing Javascript, HTML and CSS) resulted in fantastic speed. Automatic preloading of the most visited pages to the cloud made it much faster to reopen your favorite web pages. A big plus for developers!
Amazon store. It is on the Amazon App Store that the entire stake is placed. Several million e-books, over 17 million audio files and several thousand video files are offered to the user of the Kindle Fire.
Wireless technology Mirroring. Thanks to the Mirroring technology, it is possible to broadcast various content to a monitor connected via WiFi. Back in late September, Jeff Bezos demonstrated excellent Mirroring performance on the Kindle Fire.
Below is a complete list of the technical specifications for the Kindle Fire tablet:
$ 199, which is exactly what Amazon asks for its latest creation. That's not the minimum $ 449 you would have to pay for an iPad. But, the price cannot be called ultra-low. Adequate - yes. Given that the Kindle Fire lacks GPS, it lacks Bluetooth, camera, memory card slot and video output. Compared to the iPad 2, a juicy slice of pie, the Kindle Fire is a humble piece of white bread that a wide range of users love and will enjoy. Not everyone needs a multi-functional tablet. A Spartan set for a reasonable price will be enough.
And while tablets of various shapes and sizes were sold like hotcakes two years ago, global sales have been on the decline lately. Even Apple, the founder of the tablet form factor, is losing its fans.
Manufacturers are increasingly targeting the budget end of the market, suppressing the mass market with polycarbonate, and at around £ 5,000, the Amazon Fire (2015) is becoming the latest example. The tablet is really so cheap and angry that retail electronics stores are offering Amazon tablets in bundles - buy five and get the sixth for free!
Amazon tries to be wherever there is no Apple, to reach every corner that the company from Cupertino has not crawled into. And while Apple preaches high-end devices, Amazon, by contrast, considers every tablet below the top-of-the-line.
And with such low prices, the big question becomes, of course: what about the quality? If you consider a $ 50 or more tablet, you can be sure of a smooth user experience, a great bezel and a metal case with leading specs, but what trade-offs can there be with a budget proposition?
Designed by Amazon Fire (2015)
The Amazon Fire (2015) tablet looks more like one of those prototype tablets that you sometimes see in blurry screenshots taken in foreign laboratories. And in your hands it feels just like you can imagine when you see these prototypes.
Amazon Fire Review (2015): In short, everything on the iPad isn't on the Amazon Fire.
Despite all this, the rough-hewn polycarbonate feels good in the hand, and the device also feels reassuringly substantial. This tablet has enough area, which is noticeable in the arrangement of the buttons.
Apart from the almost invisible microSD slot on the right side of the tablet, there is nothing remarkable about three of the four sides of the Amazon Fire tablet.
This means that on the top of the tablet, you'll find a volume rocker, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Micro USB port and a power button, all fighting for a place in the sun, which seems like a very confusing decision in Amazon's tablet design.
The front-facing VGA camera sits above a 7-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel screen, while on the back you'll find a 2MP camera, a slim Amazon branding, and a rear speaker.
In the dark, trying to find and press the right button remains very unpleasant, you have to fumble around for a long time.
—
Today, however, there are some differences, general trends in button placement as a result of design evolution, and Amazon's decision in this regard is somewhat puzzling.
Overall, the Amazon Fire 7 looks unassuming and boring. You probably won't care when you watch videos or websites in bed, but get it on the subway and no one turns their heads. Again, costing around $ 5,000, you get exactly what you pay for.
Amazon Fire 7 display
Screen technology has progressed aggressively since the introduction of the first tablets and smartphones.
Remember, it wasn't until five years ago that resistive touchpads were ubiquitous, but now we prefer the gorgeous QHD AMOLED panels.
And, as technology seeped into the budget tablet market, "bad" screens ceased to exist as designers and engineers opted for the cheaper technologies of yesteryear. And this is a justified solution, which can be considered acceptable within the technological age, although in the case of Fire (2015), some restrictions may have been violated.
With a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, the Amazon Fire we reviewed only offered 171 ppi, which doesn't look great even on a small screen. The pixelation of the text is striking, which makes the reading experience not entirely enjoyable and certainly not on the device that is positioned as the optimal e-reader.
Watching videos doesn't offer an immersive experience either. HD content is obviously beyond the capabilities of an Amazon device, and content that is stuck between 480p and 720p does not benefit the Amazon Fire (2015) screen.
But we have more than bad news. The tablet's display offers decent viewing angles, screen illumination is even, and provides adequate brightness when required.
On the other hand, the color rendering of the panel is not quite inspiring, some tones are rather dull and muted, visibility in bright sunlight is not very good.
Considering its price, it's hard to blame the Fire for the screen quality, but there is still no way to avoid the fact that ASUS and other cheap tablets on the market offer better quality for a slight increase in price, especially the ASUS MemoPad 7.
Ecosystem and ApplicationsAmazonFire (2015)
Since the release of the first tablet in the Kindle series, Amazon has promoted a "Walled-Garden" strategy with its own content. Hence, given the retail tablet market, sales don't end with the purchase of a tablet.
To do this, the company has developed its own Android add-on, replacing almost everything in the original OS.
This is an extreme degree of modification that can have its advantages - and while it is constantly improving, Amazon's remodel is far from the vast offering of the original Android - but Amazon cannot fix all the shortcomings of this approach.
Turn on your Fire tablet (2015): you will be greeted by a "carousel" - a series of segments, each of which offers its own content.
The home screen offers a rich selection of pre-installed Amazon apps. Swipe left and you will see a "new" screen where you will find recently used applications. Swipe right and you get, in this order, Books, Videos, Games, Store, Apps and Apps, Music, Audiobooks, and Kiosk.
When you use your Amazon tablet for the first time, it looks like you’ve entered an online store, especially when you consider that, by default, advertisements are displayed on the lock screen - you will have to pay $ 15 (£ 1000) to get rid of from them.
All of this makes the user experience akin to an entertainment site, rather than enjoying the content in the comfort of your own home.
And how the content is accessed doesn't make sense. The user must navigate to the desired content from a specific site or select something from the "recommendations".
Otherwise, every action will have to be performed using the ubiquitous search bar located at the top of the screen, supported by the search engine Bing (Microsoft) or Amazon. You can perform a similar chain of actions using the buttons and shortcuts on the home screen.
In general, it seems that the design of the user interface suffers from a lot of redundant information, but if you get rid of all that is unnecessary, you will get the impression of “incompleteness”.
Although the tablet's user interface is based on Android 5.1, Amazon's tablet looks like it was the result of abandoned experiments a few years ago.
Convenient baby functions
And while any budget tablet can't stand up to the iPad, parents on a tight family budget will playfully play Amazon's smaller tablets when it comes to kids' features. In this area, Amazon and its series of "hot" tablets have been eaten by the dog. First of all, according to Amazon, its tablets are 1.8 times stronger.
This kid-friendly approach goes beyond Amazon's tablet design and build quality. Amazon's software, while can be misleading and annoying in some areas, has a number of innovative features designed to keep parents and kids entertained.
Parents can set daily goals, timelines, manage the content their child can access, buy unlimited support for Amazon Fire for Kids, and can choose which features their child can control on the device. Separate accounts can be created for different ages.
The excellent account support provided by the redesigned OS promises to switch between accounts in a matter of moments, making the Amazon Fire an attractive option for kids' home tablets or travel devices.
Amazon is taking a route that other manufacturers are only exploring and offering on the most expensive tablets, which promises some dividend for Amazon.
Amazon Fire Programs (2015)
Given that Amazon is working on its own Android redesign, as well as targeting digital content and services, it should come as no surprise that it offers its own app store. Unexpected news: it does not boast of variety.
Users got a lot of good as a result of the app war between Google and Apple, which left by a huge margin, offering millions of apps to the market. Microsoft and Amazon are trying to follow these two, but they offer only a fraction of the success in the mobile app market and, unfortunately for Amazon, even Microsoft offers more in this regard.
And while the Fire has full Android compatibility, Amazon tablet users can't access Google services with a tablet out of the box.
This means that Google Maps, Google Docs and all other applications are not available, therefore, you will have to download third-party counterparts, but they rarely offer the same performance and, therefore, are not an option for a large target audience.
Users who choose to third-party downloads of official Google apps will be left without regular updates to those apps, which is especially important with Google Maps.
Therefore, most users will be forced to choose from a tiny number of applications in the store. And while several big titles are present on the Amazon platform, including several streaming TV services, along with some games, the Amazon ecosystem has nothing to offer that comes close to even Windows Phone.
The lack of an official YouTube app, for example, is one prime example. The fact that one of the most popular online media services in the world has no representation in the Amazon store other than through a few third-party applications is a testament to the problems of the Amazon ecosystem.
For those who simply intend to use a tablet to access content or use already purchased Amazon services, this will not be a problem. But for other users, the lack of available apps is likely to be one of the top reasons for rejection.
Amazon Fire (2015) performance and battery
The performance of the Amazon Fire (2015) tablets is actually very good for its price point, thanks to its 1.3GHz quad-core ARM processors backed by 1GB of RAM.
And although the Fire will not be able to chew on loud names, it copes well with most games. And while it won't be able to match the performance of the iPad Air 2 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, it can't be called useless.
Specifications backed up by GeekBench benchmark results. The Amazon Fire (2015) scored 359 points in the single-core test, beating the 2-year score, and the multi-core score of 1191, for example, beats the Moto G, which is powered by the 4-core Snapdragon 400.
And while those numbers may not sound impressive, remember that we're talking about an Amazon tablet that costs around £ 5,000. Considering the market situation, the result is impressive.
With 1GB of RAM, the Fire doesn't offer a propensity for multitasking, but it's enough to get the job done. Switching between applications is the same as on vanilla Android: the square soft key gives access to the extended block of applications, although launching more than several at the same time will force them to reboot.
Performance is one area where Amazon, you might think, has compromised; Fortunately, this is not the case.
It's not the most suitable tablet for power users, but it's certainly more than capable of providing hours of productivity for the novice user.
Battery life
Without hundreds of notifications throughout the day, given its modest processor and negligible screen resolution, the Fire's battery offers a consistent seven hours of battery life, Amazon promises, especially when it comes to video playback.
It is clear that the tablet cannot offer the same battery life under gaming load. As you would expect, the tablet heats up during extended gaming sessions, which causes the battery to drain quickly enough, about three hours instead of seven - roughly the duration of a short flight, let alone a train journey.
In traditional use, as shown by the Amazon Fire 7 (2015) review, the tablet can withstand a full day and a little more, provided that you surf the web, use iPlayer for a short time, a few casual games and listen to Spotify, which is an average load. The waiting time, meanwhile, shows excellent results, the tablet only lost five percent of its charge per night.
Be careful, however, the tablet does not offer dedicated battery modes, which is disappointing given that power saving modes are quickly becoming an important part of new mobile devices. For travelers and other users, this is probably a pretty good metric.
Wi-Fi, memory and keyboard
We found that the Amazon Fire tablet achieved acceptable Wi-Fi speeds quite consistently. Decent reception was provided even in areas that were questionable for a clear signal.
Users who spend a lot of time in the car should remember that, as with any tablet without SIM support, the tablet does not have built-in GPS, so they will not be able to use it as a cheap navigator.
The tablet also offers only 8 GB and not all of them are available to the user. This makes the MicroSD card an essential add-on for those planning to install more than a few applications or download music to their Amazon tablet.
The sound from the speakers remains quite adequate. And although it's a mono speaker located on the back, it sounds loud enough, but the tinny sound could not be avoided. However, given that Amazon offers Dolby Surround Sound in expensive tablets, it's disappointing that Amazon hasn't made more efforts in this direction.
Amazon's keyboard remains mediocre. This also applies to the Silk browser, which is a bit like Chrome for Android, but lacks all the most interesting features and only has basic options as opposed to more advanced browsers. Since the keyboard and browser are Amazon's own solution, you cannot change or replace them.
Amazon Fire Camera (2015)
Despite constant calls not to use tablets for photography, many users are increasingly turning to their tablets for photography, which is why a tablet camera is becoming a must-have feature today.
But I'll say it again: Don't worry about tablet photography - and especially not the Amazon Fire.
With its 2MP main camera and front-facing VGA camera, Fire has no plans to offer you serious shots, you shouldn't wait for a Samsung Galaxy S6 or LG G4 camera quality.
Not surprisingly, the results obtained with these two sensors are extremely poor, in particular the front camera leaves a terrible impression. Photos look like oil paintings, with washed out details, poor color reproduction and a lot of noise.
At the very least, Amazon's camera app makes the process of capturing images as easy as possible. Focusing requires a single tap on the screen, after which the shutter button will take a photo. Pressing the red Record button starts video recording.
Everything is presented very cleanly and mostly intuitive. This also applies to the settings, the only concession in terms of user control is the inclusion of HDR mode.
Summing up ...
Amazon Fire (2015) review and its practical use leave two conflicting impressions. Despite the hardware and overall quality of the tablet, the performance is lacking due to the lack of some basic applications and the strange design of the user interface.
We liked:
Solid build, a variety of cases and accessories, and it's a tablet you won't worry about. A decently bright screen, reasonably loud audio, and battery life even longer than we expected.
Performance also came out on top for the entry-level Fire tablet, as it handled Amazon-Android and most of the games I fed it during my review. Did I mention that the tablet only costs 5,000 rubles?
We didn't like:
Considering the low resolution of the screen, watching videos or reading text for more than ten minutes, especially black text on a white background, is nowhere near as enjoyable as it is with a good resolution.
And while Amazon's tablet offers robust and innovative features for the family, Amazon's version of Android seems confusing and too forceful to sell products to the user. Removing ads on the lock screen will cost you about $ 15 (1,000 rubles), which reduces the price advantage of the tablet relative to its closest competitors.
Final word
Amazon sells Fire for 5,000 rubles. For this price, the tablet can be recommended to almost everyone, but we will not do that.
Given the consistent fall in tablet prices over the past year or so, this means there are a number of strong Android-based competitors offering the best performance-to-price ratio.
When you include the need to disable ads on your lock screen, the Amazon Fire 7 has a similar price tag but boasts better performance and an attractive screen. Is it worth reminding you of potentially more apps?
If this is your first tablet, you are parents looking for useful controls for their children, and for those who have long been investing in the Amazon ecosystem, the Fire 7 is becoming a comparatively meaningful purchase. But for the general public, it just isn't worth the money, sometimes it’s worth spending a little more, but it’s worth it.
Amazon Kindle Fire is a tablet from a famous American company.
Kindle Fire is probably the most inexpensive tablet in its class, Amazon always makes its products as cheap as possible, selling the tablet at a price close to the cost price, the company has got an army of customers who buy paid content - books, music and other applications through Amazon's own services ... In the end, everyone wins - Amazon has got loyal customers, and users are an excellent device at an affordable price.
Amazon Kindle Fire Specifications
Amazon Kindle Fire design and technology
The Kindle Fire tablet looks quite ordinary, the exterior is ordinary, nothing superfluous. The body of the tablet is made perfectly - the materials are of high quality, the assembly is accurate, there are no cracks or creaks, the assembly and materials are 5-plus. Compared to e-books, the tablet is heavy, but it is quite comfortable in the hand. The back of the case is made of matte black Soft Touch plastic, this material does not slip out of the hand and is resistant to damage. The display is covered with a solid glass surface.
There are no hardware keys, except for the power button of the device; it is also responsible for the lock, which is located on the bottom of the side surface. Changing the volume level is possible only through the tablet settings menu, which is certainly not very convenient when using it. At the bottom of the side surface are also located: a headphone jack and a micro-usb connector, which is used to charge the tablet battery. The speakers, there are two of them, are located on the upper side surface. The sound quality is very good, for this size of the device, the volume is high and there is no sound distortion. But unfortunately, the Kindle Fire tablet does not have a microphone and a camera, it will not be possible to talk on Skype. Unfortunately, the Kindle Fire cannot be connected to an external display either. And one more drawback is the lack of support for memory cards.
Now about the screen, it is very good, this 7 inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. Large viewing angles, bright, vibrant colors and a great picture with 169 dpi. The screen deserves high praise and praise.
The operating system of the tablet is Android 2.3, but the interface is a proprietary shell from Amazon. Its system guides and helps users navigate the vast amount of content from Amazon. Everything is for people, but unfortunately this is in the USA, since in order to take advantage of all the advantages of the interface and other goodies, you need to create an account in the Amazon online store and link it to a bank card of an American bank. Russian bank cards do not fit, it's a pity.
Navigation - a menu at the top of the screen, from which you can select the type of content - periodicals, books, documents, videos, music, applications, the Internet. Android Market can be launched on Kindle Fire only after jailbreak. But there is another way to install your favorite applications - download them from other online stores or save them to the tablet memory via a usb cable. There is a very good built-in application for reading e-books, you can do without installing similar applications.
We should also mention our proprietary web browser - Silk. The WebKit engine is used to render web pages, which provides high-speed browser performance. The browser as a whole is fast and easy to use, no serious flaws were found. Useful applications installed by default - e-mail client, address book and package for viewing electronic documents (spreadsheets, text documents, presentations) Quick office.
If you want more than Amazon's built-in shell, namely a full Android tablet, then you have to jailbreak it. You need to get root access and install Google services on it. How to do this can be found on specialized sites and it will not be difficult.
The battery life of the tablet is 8 hours in reading mode and 7.5 hours of video viewing, the battery of the Kindle Fire tablet is rather big - 4400 mAh and keeps the declared characteristics confidently.
Video review Amazon Kindle Fire
Eventually
As a result, we can say that the Amazon Kindle Fire is a very good, high-quality tablet, but unfortunately, not all of its functions are available in Russia. This somewhat overshadows the tablet's merits, but its two main merits are low price and excellent display that will surely attract many buyers. And those who are not afraid of shamanizing a little over software can make a full-fledged tablet out of the Kindle Fire, suitable for everyday needs, at a very low price.
page tags: Amazon Kindle, Fire, tablet pc, tablet
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