The Kindle Fire releases November 15, and has already proved itself to be in high demand based on the preorders. Reviews are calling this new tablet a market changer, and an affordable one at that. Tablet sales are going to be fast and furious in the 2011 holiday season.
The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s long awaited tablet version of its international bestselling e-reader. It includes a 7” vibrant display that includes a ton of great apps, games and revolutionary internet browser called Amazon Silk. Amazon Silk is a user focused browser that “learns” the habits of its owner. It is similar to the “recommendations” option that Amazon has had for years. The tablet runs on the Android operating system, and syncs to Amazon’s android marketplace.
It is going for $199, which is $300 cheaper than the low end model of the iPad 2, and $60 less than the NookColor. The Kindle Fire is smaller than the iPad, and is in more direct competition with the NookColor. However, it is already making a dent in iPad sales before even being released.
The Kindle tablet has access to a massive collection of books, movies, and games from Amazon’s store. It also offers magazines in full color. It is the perfect fit for anyone who wants a good quality, multipurpose tablet at great price.
The Kindle Fire is one of the top gadgets to watch this holiday season since it is the first tablet to really take a stand against the iPad, and with Amazon’s great reputation, it has the ability to outshine all of the other tablets out there.
Retailers such as Staples, Walmart, and Best Buy are leaking ads on their Black Friday Deals. There isn’t much speculation regarding further discounts on any of the Kindles. The $199 price is a great deal from the start. The competition’s response will be the interesting thing to watch.
Staples is supposedly offering gift cards to go with Kindles and other electronics. That includes the Kindle Fire. Consumers will want accessories such as a case or cover to go along with their new tablets, so there will most likely be a deal on them.
The Kindle Fire offers many of the best selling apps such as Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, ESPN, Facebook, Twitter, and a multitude of games. Electronic Arts, PopCap, Rovio and other well known gaming companies just signed a contract with Amazon to offer their games on the Kindle Fire.
Battery life varies depending on use. Based on the Amazon description, it can go for 8 straight hours of reading, and 7.5 hours of video. It comes with a free month’s subscription of Amazon Prime and can display a variety of document formats: Word, PDF, etc.
Hardcore readers might prefer the Kindle Touch because it is more tailored to long term reading, but the Kindle Fire has access to nearly a million books in full color, and includes unlimited cloud storage. The rich color display is great for graphic heavy reading material such as magazines or comics.