The Kindle Fire entered the market with projections by experts that it would be a direct competitor to the Apple iPad. There are even rumors that Apple plans to answer with a smaller iPad with a similar price. The Amazon Kindle Fire as a tablet does offer rivalry to higher priced Android tablets in particular. As the cost of the Amazon Kindle Fire is hard to beat, there's one area in which the Amazon Kindle Fire falls horribly short.
So, what are the shortcomings? Connectivity! The moment the first generation Kindles hit the market as an e-readers, one of many selling points was free 3G service by AT&T. You purchased the Ereader and had the capability to surf Amazon's e-book store everywhere you could get AT&T service which is most areas throughout the United States. Earlier Kindles also came with a cable that connected it with your computer, so you could download books and copy them manually.
This service flew out the window once the Kindle Fire arrived on the scene. Giving 3G to the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. And of course, 3G speeds would not be able to support the capability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. For that reason, users are bound to wi-fi service only on the Kindle Fire. This implies to use the web on the device , you must have access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.
The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. Apparently Amazon is so worried that users might get access to an app market other than their own, that they've omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle has 2 ports. One is a regular earphone jack and the other is the micro USB for charging the unit. Amazon will not even include the USB cable for connecting the Fire to your computer . For you to connect the Kindle Fire to your computer, you have to buy the cable separately. Only a conventional charging cable is included.
Why the Kindle Fire might not stand up to competition. Even less expensive budget tablets ship with more connectivity compared to a Kindle Fire. These products are typically rich in options including an SD card slot, USB port and an HDMI connector. Adding in this connectivity would make the Fire unstoppable. With a USB port, users would have the choice of using a mobile broadband plan to increase connectivity. A USB port also allows expansion of the 8 gb memory space available on the Kindle as would an SD card interface.
Solutions to the connectivity issue are limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential is to root the unit. A task that is not for the newbie and is somewhat of a gamble that will void your warranty. Nonetheless, once the device is rooted, you then have the choice of installing more app markets and broadening the ways the Fire can be used. Other than that, there's no way currently to expand the ability to connect the device to the Net. Many apps are worthless without online connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and tools.
If rooting is out of the question, then users can purchase the connection cable and sideload apps onto the gadget. It isn't really too difficult to locate app files, download them to your computer, after which you can drag and drop the file on to your Kindle Fire. The Fire will do the rest.
With new tablets hitting the market regularly targeting the cheaper prices, the Kindle Fire will rapidly lose its edge. Currently you can find tablets available which are just $30 or so more than the Kindle with all the current capabilities along with the connectivity options listed above. Bear in mind Bluetooth. Bluetooth provides a whole new dimension of connectivity to your device. Consider a Fire having a real keyboard, not the virtual onscreen type. It's really a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step-up with a tablet that truly has the user in mind as opposed to their wallet.
So, what are the shortcomings? Connectivity! The moment the first generation Kindles hit the market as an e-readers, one of many selling points was free 3G service by AT&T. You purchased the Ereader and had the capability to surf Amazon's e-book store everywhere you could get AT&T service which is most areas throughout the United States. Earlier Kindles also came with a cable that connected it with your computer, so you could download books and copy them manually.
This service flew out the window once the Kindle Fire arrived on the scene. Giving 3G to the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. And of course, 3G speeds would not be able to support the capability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. For that reason, users are bound to wi-fi service only on the Kindle Fire. This implies to use the web on the device , you must have access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.
The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. Apparently Amazon is so worried that users might get access to an app market other than their own, that they've omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle has 2 ports. One is a regular earphone jack and the other is the micro USB for charging the unit. Amazon will not even include the USB cable for connecting the Fire to your computer . For you to connect the Kindle Fire to your computer, you have to buy the cable separately. Only a conventional charging cable is included.
Why the Kindle Fire might not stand up to competition. Even less expensive budget tablets ship with more connectivity compared to a Kindle Fire. These products are typically rich in options including an SD card slot, USB port and an HDMI connector. Adding in this connectivity would make the Fire unstoppable. With a USB port, users would have the choice of using a mobile broadband plan to increase connectivity. A USB port also allows expansion of the 8 gb memory space available on the Kindle as would an SD card interface.
Solutions to the connectivity issue are limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential is to root the unit. A task that is not for the newbie and is somewhat of a gamble that will void your warranty. Nonetheless, once the device is rooted, you then have the choice of installing more app markets and broadening the ways the Fire can be used. Other than that, there's no way currently to expand the ability to connect the device to the Net. Many apps are worthless without online connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and tools.
If rooting is out of the question, then users can purchase the connection cable and sideload apps onto the gadget. It isn't really too difficult to locate app files, download them to your computer, after which you can drag and drop the file on to your Kindle Fire. The Fire will do the rest.
With new tablets hitting the market regularly targeting the cheaper prices, the Kindle Fire will rapidly lose its edge. Currently you can find tablets available which are just $30 or so more than the Kindle with all the current capabilities along with the connectivity options listed above. Bear in mind Bluetooth. Bluetooth provides a whole new dimension of connectivity to your device. Consider a Fire having a real keyboard, not the virtual onscreen type. It's really a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step-up with a tablet that truly has the user in mind as opposed to their wallet.
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To find out more about the Kindle Fire and Android tablets, review some of the many resources available on the web. Make sure you read as many Android tablet reviews as you can to make sure you are getting a unit that is right for your lifestyle.