The Kindle Fire is in the wild and I’ve gathered a couple of initial reviews for you. There is a generally very positive air about these initial views and some testers believe this is the first Android tablet capable of giving the iPad a run for its money. At $199, it’s a steal and will surely cannibalise both the Android and the iPad markets, not to mention Kindle’s own e-ink readers.
It isn’t an iPad. It lacks 3G, adequate storage and the vast reservoir of iOS apps. It is slower and less polished than the iPad. It can’t even use Goodle’s Market Place and is tied in to Amazon’s store. But integration with Amazon for music, apps, magazines and books is excellent. For many, this is all they really want.
Kindle reader owners will be attracted by the Fire because it provides a good book-reading experience with relatively little weight or size penalty and yet offers a lot more than the e-ink-limited Kindle.
And that 7in screen. I didn’t agree with Steve Jobs when he made his finger filing comments. It was a ridiculous thing to say, particularly since hundreds of millions of people with normal-size fingers happily stab away at Apple’s own iPhones and iPod touches without feeling a need for a manicure.
There is a place for 7in tablets and the Kindle Fire will prove it. I just hope Apple management doesn’t fall into the trap of letting the small-tablet market slip through their fingers. Roll on the Junior iPad.
Here are some of the reviews
The Verge | Engadget | Mashable