Despite the hardware
improvements, many early hands-on reports suggest Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD
tablets still aren't up to snuff. It's based on older version of android ICS and software seems half cooked yet.
NBC News said:
"Perhaps our expectations were too high or perhaps we'd been spoiled by
the Nexus 7 and iPad, but the Kindle Fire HD seemed downright sluggish at
times, lagging at odd moments."
While Gizmodo said:
"It's just not nearly as smooth as the Nexus 7 on Jelly Bean. ... It's bad
enough that when you tap an icon, you wonder if you did it wrong, if maybe you
didn't tap firmly enough."
And the chaps at Droid Life
noted: "The UI itself is almost identical to the original Fire,
including the consistent presence of lag from the home screen. Jumping between
sections like Books or Videos takes a few seconds, making the overall
experience feel cheap."
One thing Amazon didn't mention at its event is
that all the new Kindle Fire HD models are going to be ad-supported. Yes, ad-supported.
The Kindle Fire HD is a closed system that, for the most part, plays nice only
with Amazon's own services along with a selection of apps that is dramatically
limited compared with Google's Play store.
Its hardware lacks many of the
sensors found in the Nexus 7, including NFC, a digital compass, and GPS. To
that end Amazon also lacks an integrated Map or Navigation app, as these would
rely on some of the omitted sensors.
Android apps purchased through Google are
not easily installed on the Kindle Fire HD, nor are apps purchased through
Amazon easily installed on all types of Android devices (though the latter
action is easier to accomplish). Here's specs comparision of Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. You better judge yourself.
|
|---|
| Kindle Fire HD 7" | Nexus 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7.6 inches by 5.4 inches by 0.4 inch (HWD) | 7.8 inches by 4.72 inches by 0.41 inch (HWD) |
| Weight | 13.9 ounces | 12 ounces |
| OS | Custom Android 4.0 | Android 4.1 |
| Processor | Dual-core,1.2GHz OMAP 4460 | Quad-core Tegra 3 |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Storage | 16GB or 32GB | 8GB or 16GB |
| Front camera | Yes, unknown type | Yes, 1.2 megapixel |
| Rear camera | No | No |
| Battery | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Charge type | Micro-USB | Micro-USB |
| 3G | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n (MIMO) | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Screen size | 7 inches, antiglare, laminated (IPS) | 7 inches (IPS) |
| HDMI out | Yes | No |
| Resolution | 800x1,280 pixels | 800x1,280 pixels |
| Book store | Amazon | Google Books, third-party |
| App store | Amazon | Google Play |
| Book formats | Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, DOC, DOCX, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)) | App-dependent, more inclusive |
| GPS | No | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| microSD | No | No |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Adobe Flash | Yes | No |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Other features | Cloud storage backup, wireless sync, Whispersync, Amazon Silk Web browser, Amazon Lending Library, Prime Instant Video, Dolby Digital Plus audio, X-Ray, FreeTime, MIMO dual-band antenna | Larger app selection, Google Now, Voice Commands, broader accessibility options, integration with Google services (Gmail, Docs, Maps, Drive), location-aware, |
| Price | $199 16GB, $249 (32GB) | $199 8GB, $249 (16GB) |
I need to bookmark your blog to read more reviews about new gadgets. I was thinking to buy this but good that I read it. Thank you for sharing it with us
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