A study released today by Localytics, a mobile apps analytics firm, revealed that Amazon has continued to be a force to reckon with in the tech sector. Their latest statistics show that Amazon controls roughly 33% of all Android tablets used in the world with their Kindle Fire line of tablets. Think about that. Amazon controls nearly 1/3 of ALL Android tablets sold in the world and 89% of that exists in the US. This percentage is likely to change in the near future as Amazon’s VP announced at their Kindle Paperwhite event in Canada, that they are working to launch the Kindle Fire family of products worldwide. It's never too late to start working on an app for the Amazon App Store, and this news should excite developers worldwide.
Seems like everyone is hopping on the tablet train before it's too late. Google announced their latest entry into the tablet market today at their developers conference, Google I/O. The new 7-inch Google Nexus 7 tablet will run the freshly released version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Priced at a mere $199, identical to that of Amazon's own tablet, the Kindle Fire, we should expect promising results from Google's latest release.
Featuring a 1.3 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset with quad-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, the Google Nexus 7 plans to pack a punch when it comes to its functionality. To display all of that will be a 1280-by-800 IPS display with scratch-resistant Corning glass. To top everything off is 1 GB of RAM, a micro-USB port, and a 1.2 megapixel front facing camera. This potential "Kindle Fire killer" weighs in at 0.7 pounds and measures out to be 10.45mm thick. As for connectivity you can come to expect the usual GPS, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and NFC capabilities. Google promises up to 8 hours of content consumption from a 4325 mAh battery.
Alongside with Google's latest and greatest hardware, they announced enormous updates to their software features as well. Google Play will now become the central hub for all of your entertainment content, ranging from music, movies, games, books, and much more. Using your Google account, Google Play will be able to store everything in one place, similar to an Apple ID account. By taking advantage of the cloud, all of your purchases and data can synced wirelessly throughout all of your devices as well.
You can preorder your Nexus 7 today on Google's website for $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB version. While this tablet does not plan to challenge what Apple has created with the iPad, the Nexus 7 looks to take a grab at what the Kindle Fire has started. Catch the video after the jump!
You can never get enough of gadgets being dropped to the ground until something breaks. The guys over at GizmoSlip thought they should put the Amazon's Kindle Fire against Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet in a drop test showdown to see which of these budget tablets will last the longest in the hands of careless consumers. The Kindle Fire's Gorilla Glass screen against the Nook Tablet's less strengthened glass screen and chubby plastic bezel. What we learned from this scientific testing is that although the Kindle Fire is better put together than the Nook Tablet, the Kindle Fire's seamless glass screen is its weakest point. Check out the video down below!
Amazon's new fiery hot $200 Kindle Fire tablet is finally here with us. We're going to give it the unboxing treatment it deserves so be sure to check out the gallery down below. Amazon has a very strong ecosystem that is shown when using the Kindle Fire. Music and videos are streamed from Amazon's cloud service and apps can be purchased and downloaded from Amazon's very own Appstore. Although the Kindle Fire sole heart is an Android operating system, the Kindle Fire is heavily skinned and customized per Amazon's taste creating a more unique user experience that differs from other Android tablets on the market. Though after using the Kindle Fire, it seemed to be a bit sluggish and not quite up to par with other tablets in terms of speed and responsiveness.
The Kindle Fire boasts a 7-inch IPS touchscreen display with 16-million colors at 1024x600 resolution, WiFi, dual-core processor and 8GB of internal storage plus 5GB of free Amazon Cloud storage. The 7-inch form factor feels absolutely great to hold with one hand and feels like you could take it with you everywhere you go without sweating a single drop. It also makes it more comfortable to type on the on-screen keyboard that has a spacious key layout. The back is coated with a black soft-touch rubbery texture found on Amazon's Kindle e-readers and it adds a good level of grippyness to the device, but also easily shows oily fingerprints. The screen is crystal clear, bright and reading text on it is very pleasant. I'm amazed Amazon managed to keep the price so affordable yet built a very solid tablet with a great screen. Aside from a power/sleep button at the bottom, the Kindle Fire doesn't have any other buttons or switches. There are two large speakers at the top which aren't as loud as the iPad 2's speaker, 3.5mm headphone port and a micro-USB port for charging at the bottom.
Browsing the web feels a bit slow even though Amazon's praised Silk browser that is said to handle most of the rendering of pages via the cloud doesn't come close to the fast loading speeds of the much pricier iPad 2 over a WiFi network. Granted you should not compare the two against each other as these are both completely different tablet categories. On the other hand, streaming videos and movies is amazing. Each load in the blink of an eye and start playing instantly with respectable picture quality. This is where Amazon's own services show a very strong presence in the Kindle Fire that not even the iPad competes with iTunes for instantly streaming content. Also, Amazon Prime members get access to Amazon Instant Prime library of over 10,000 movies and TV shows and can stream all of that for free.
Amazon's Appstore isn't what we would call a thriving ecosystem and it isn't filled with quality apps and the vast selection you would find in Apple's App Store or even in the Android Market. Don't worry, you'll be able to get your Angry Birds fix with the Kindle Fire as well as many other apps tailored to run on the Kindle Fire.
The Kindle Fire comes to your doorstep inside Amazon's famous frustration-free, eco-friendly packaging with only the bare essentials included inside that is a wall power adapter. There's a slew of sleeves and cases already out for the Kindle Fire, we recommend Amazon's own Zip Sleeve for a quick protection solution, although it is overpriced. We'll have a review on it very soon. The Kindle Fire might not be the snappiest tablet around, but as a budget tablet, the Kindle Fire is worth its price without any doubt. It'll make for a nice present this holiday season for someone who uses Amazon more than anything. And that's just our first impressions with the Kindle Fire after only a day!
Only days after the announcement of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, the usual suspects one of them being WaterField wasted no time at all to announce its protective cases and sleeves for the sizzling new tablet everyone's talking about. WaterField has announced that all of its current protective cases and sleeves will eventually be made available for the Kindle Fire within 2 weeks after November 15. Cases include the Smart Case pictured above priced at $59, and made out of multi-layered padding including a high-impact rigid insert and lined with soft Ultrasuede and leather trim.
Other offerings like WaterField's Suede Jacket sleeve for the Kindle Fire, the thinnest sleeve available offering scratch protection without the bulk for $19.
Amazon has released the press conference video of yesterday's announcement of all-new Kindles including the kindle Fire tablet with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos delivering the keynote.
Rumors of an Amazon tablet have been circulating since last year but Amazon finally went public today at its 10:00 AM invitation only news conference. Its name, Fire, is no surprise following the Amazon Kindle. After watching many Android tablets fail to upend the Apple iPad, Amazon came right out with a knockout punch offering the Fire at only $200, $300 dollars less than Apple's cheapest iPad.
The 7 inch tablet offers a dual core CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Strangely, Google's Android Market is not offered but the Android App Store is offered. The Fire does not have a microphone nor a front or rear facing camera but does have WiFi (no 3G) and comes with a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime.
