What I Love About the Kindle, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, & the HDX

When the Apple iPad hit the market I was smitten. I thought I had to have one. My heart sank when I faced, not only the price tag, but the fact that an additional wireless contract would be required. My joy was short lived.

I had looked at the first generation Amazon Kindles, as well as other e-readers, but none of them really took my eye, until the Kindle Fire came out. At one-third the price of an iPad, and without any additional contract necessary, I found what I was looking for.

Practically from the moment you take the Kindle Fire out of the box, it’s ready to use. Simply connect to the internet (using any hotspot) and set up your Amazon account. It’s really that simple and takes less than 30 minutes.

The Kindle Fire features a 7” high resolution color touch screen that employs the IPS (In-Plane-Switching) technology. Allowing both landscape and portrait viewing.

Fast web browsing with the Amazon Cloud Accelerated web browser, as long as you have a hotspot connection.

Apps, apps, and more apps! Literally thousands of popular apps and games, including Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and more. Not to mention games, magazines, weather, and radio. Many apps are free, but some do cost, depending on what you want your device to do.

Watch Movies, T V shows and videos. The picture is crystal clear, colors are rich and vibrant, and the sound is outstanding. Sound can be easily adjusted or plug ear buds right into your Kindle Fire.

Downloading music from Amazon onto your Kindle Fire could not be easier. Search for your favorite artist, song or genre. Purchase and download a single song or an entire album. Save your songs on the cloud and listen to them on your PC using the downloadable cloud player and on your Android phone's music player.

Download your favorite magazines and newspapers. Some contain added features such as videos, audio tracks and other interactive features.

Millions of books to choose from for every taste. Children’s books (many with interactive features), Cook books, Comic books, and all the best sellers. Of course these are all offered at Amazon’s discounted prices.

Hundreds of titles to download for free from the Kindle Owners Lending Library. Many are on the best sellers list.

Connects to free Cloud Storage. Store your music, books, videos and apps on the Cloud and they will be accessible on your PC as well as on your Kindle Fire.

Kindle Fire uses sync technology to sync your last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights on your device. This includes videos, start viewing a movie on the Kindle Fire, then pick up right where you left off on your TV or PC.

Choose one of the built-in email apps (Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, AOL etc.) into a single inbox. Imports messages and contact lists from other email accounts

Battery life

Although the Kindle Fire advertises 8-hours of continuous reading, and 7.5 hours of video viewing, I’ve found it doesn’t hold a charge quite that long. Of course I do spend a LOT of time on my Kindle, so. . .

When flying, a Kindle is considered an electrical device and must be powered down for take offs and landings. Even though you are right in the middle of a great book!

At 7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm) and 14.6 ounces (413 grams), the Kindle Fire goes with you anywhere you go. Easy to hold and tuck away in a purse or brief case.

Technical Information about the Kindle Fire

There is no system requirements because the Kindle Fire is wireless and requires no computer.

8 GB internal storage.

• Performance

The Kindle Fire HD is over 60% faster than it's predecessor. It also offers a dual core processor and an Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics core for smoother running video and games. Storage size comes in two options 8 GB or 16 GB adding even more storage for your favorite games, books, and movies.

Fire OS Mojito - starts with Android and adds cloud services which include, content -forward user interface, built-in media libraries, productivity apps, and platform enhancements to improve performance.

• Extended Battery Life

The HD Battery lasts longer than the previously listed 7.5 hours for the Kindle Fire. Up to 10 hours of reading, surfing the web on wI-FI, watching videos, or listening to music.

• Stunning HD Display

Rich, HD video, vivid photos, crisp, detailed text are what you will find on the new 1280X800 HD LCD display with over a million pixels. This gives the viewer a greater experience at all angles due to it's IPS technology and advanced polarizing filter with anti-glare.

• Streamlined Design

Weighing just 12.2 ounces, the Kindle Fire HD is lighter and easier to hold with just one hand. With cleaner lines, optimized button placement, and a stiffer, 30x's harder bezel, it's tough enough for children to play with.

• Kid Friendly, Parent Approved

Parents can not only limit the time children spend on the Kindle, but now they can choose what books, apps, games, and videos they have access to. For a low price, parents can access a subscription to all their favorite from Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, PBS and more.

• Did I mention you can take pictures & videos with your Kindle Fire HD?

You may also edit your photos and send them via e-mail or on social networks with ease; sharing with friends and family has never been easier

• 7" HDX high density, perfect color accuracy display, which offers lifelike images that go beyond the standard HD.

• The May Day button, an on-device tech support, exclusive to Kindle Fire HDX.

• As good as any tablet, ultra-fast web browsing, built-in OfficeSuite, and updated e-mail and calendar support for Gmail, Outlook, and more.

This baby is designed to entertain, but you can take it to work, school, or anywhere.

Offered in storage sizes of 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB

Powerful, Portable, and Priced under $300.00 for the 16 & 32 GB models, $309.00 for 64 GB. A great tablet for the money.