Here's part 2 of the most complete Kindle Fire Tablet Review. In this part The Silk Bowser is covered. Then Shopping aspect is covered as it relates to Books, Music, and Movies. After that Apps and Games are covered, followed by the final Verdict.
Silk Browser
Aside from the price tag, one of the main talking points spawned from Amazon's announcement was the new, and revolutionary Silk browser, which promised a different approach to loading web-pages, meaning you'd get to your favourite content faster.
Here's how it works in theory. You see, Amazon isn't just the world's biggest retailer, it also owns most of the internet. It's servers host an astonishing amount of the web's content.
It's massive EC2 Cloud-based computers are hence able to do a huge amount of the heavy lifting when it comes to loading web content.
Those servers will store a lot of the information about websites in a cache, meaning the Kindle Fire itself has to do less of the work the next time it brings up that page. The browser will determine the best division of labour necessary to load the page in the fastest way.
The Silk's loading method isn't without controversy. As a lot of the information is handled by Amazon's own servers, there are privacy issues at stake. It means Amazon has a record of every site you've visited, exposing your browsing habits. There's a price to pay for that extra speed.
But how does it work in practice? Well, on pages we loaded regularly, like TechRadar.com, the back-end loading functionality was able to predict regular content like the banner heads, while the rest of the content follows almost instantly. It's a very fluid experience.
In terms of the look and usability of the Silk browser, it's definitely more likable than the default Android smartphone and tablet browser, but not as smooth or intuitive as Safari for iOS 5.
We found that scrolling around web-pages was a simple task, and double-tapping to zoom-in on certain areas worked well, as did pinch to zoom. This didn't cause any negative effects on the resolution of text or images, but when video is present, any zooming can be very jerky.
Silk is flash enabled, meaning you'll have no problem using those sites still heavily reliant on Adobe's gaming and video platform, despite Adobe's vow to kill Flash on mobile devices. As they tend to, Flash banners do not always render in the correct place.
However how much you enjoy enjoy Silk will greatly depend on how you cope with the 7-inch screen as opposed to 8.9, 9.7 and 10.1 inch displays offered by rivals.
If you're using in portrait mode you'll not see the full width of the many pages, while landscape displays minimal information above the fold.
We had no problems with reading web articles on the 7-inch screen as text re-renders to fit your environment a la the Android browser.
The entire reason for the Kindle Fire's existence is to lock you into an Amazon-controlled ecosystem where you can equip the device with hordes of books, magazines, apps (more on that later), movies and music.
How else do you think it can afford to lose a reported £6 on every device it sells?
As we mentioned above, the user interface completely revolves around pointing you to those stores, so how does the experience play out?
When you enter each of the portals, you'll be greeted with a screen showing the content you've already placed on the device and also the files you have stored on Amazon's Cloud Player.
To access new music, for example, you'll hit the Store tab, which is easy to navigate and offers MP3 previews of every track. Once you make a purchase, you have the option of storing on your device, or keeping it on your Cloud Player. You can also upload your own tracks to your Cloud Player account.
The cloud solution is one way you can circumnavigate the paltry 8GB of storage on the device as you'll be able to access all of your music and video over Wi-Fi.
It's not much help if there's no Wi-Fi available, as this device has no 3G connectivity, but there's always the option to physically download anything you have stored to the device for long journeys. And of course it saves the battery if you're not streaming all your content.
In terms of accessing movies and TV shows, Amazon is keen for you to sign up for its Amazon Prime Instant Videos service, which is free in the US for subscribers to the Prime 2-day free delivery service which costs $79 (Kindle Fire buyers get 30 days free).
For that you'll get free and unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, but don't expect the latest blockbusters.
The newest releases, along with the latest TV shows, are available to rent for 48 hours (twice as long as iTunes) for the same $3.99-$4.99 price. Like iTunes, those files can be temporarily downloaded to your device for offline viewing. As soon as we have more info on the UK features in this area, we'll update the review.
It's the first tablet ecosystem that can compete with iTunes on an absolute level playing field. It doesn't quite possess the same nuances, like podcasts and iTunes U, but the essential stuff is there in abundance.
The Newsstand tab is very similar to its namesake in iOS 5. It features a huge array of magazines and newspapers which Amazon was smart enough to tie in prior to the Kindle Fire's launch. There's Vanity Fair, Wired, Cosmopolitan, GQ and The Economist as well as 'papers like The New York Times. These can also be stored on the cloud, rather than on the device, saving vital space.
Magazines read well, but the fluidity and panache we experienced on the iPad isn't present here. In terms of books, well it's a Kindle Reader...
The selection of 750,000 books is second to none and the purchasing interface transfers well onto the new medium. However, the reading experience isn't as pretty as on the iBooks app for iOS, we missed the true-to-life turning of the page when flicking through the book.
Members of the Amazon Prime service now also get the opportunity to rent one book a month from the store, absolutely free. Again, that service isn't yet available for UK readers.
As we mentioned earlier, although Android pumps the blood around its veins, the Kindle Fire doesn't really feel like an Android device. Nowhere is this more evident than in the app store department.
The presence of Amazon's own Android appstore means there's no Google-supported Android Market on this device. What that means is a dramatic reduction in the officially available applications for an ecosystem already struggling to keep up with Apple's 140,000-strong offering of iPad optimised apps.
Amazon went out and penned deals with a host of the main players in this arena, which means Angry Birds, Words With Friends, Plants vs Zombies, Dead Space and Scrabble are all present and accounted for, while the company is continuing to offer a free Premium app every day. Once again your apps can be stored on the cloud to download as you see fit.
The gaming experience on the device is relatively pleasing. It feels like using a large phone, rather than a tablet device as the extra screen real estate on devices like the PlayStation-certified Sony S1 and iPad 2 do enhance the experience, but anyone who has played video games on an Android phone will know what to expect. The multitouch-enabled touchscreen helps in this department.
In terms of streaming media there's the all-important (and newly revamped) Netflix, Hulu+, Pandora and Rdio apps, but no Spotify as of yet.
In terms of social networking, the built in Facebook icon simply links to the mobile site and there's no sign of an official Twitter client. There are third-party alternatives like Seismic, FriendCaster and Uber Social, though.
While the Amazon Appstore is well-stocked and will offer enough to get by on, no Google support means no official YouTube app, no Google+, no Maps, no Gmail, no Earth, no Voice (there's no microphone), no Translate and no Navigation (there's no GPS anyway).
These are top shelf apps that bolster the Android platform and Amazon has alienated them. Without them the device feels a little bare. You feel it really needs a YouTube app at bare minimum.
There is a way to circumnavigate this problem and root (or jailbreak) the device in order to load any app (or APK) you would like to, but this method is for seasoned tinkerers only and will void the warranty on your device.
The Amazon Kindle Fire is a completely new kind of tablet device, erring away from the "we can make an iPad too" attitude that has seen the tech world so-far fail to replicate Apple's success.
There were always going to be compromises, but Amazon has struck a very fine balance balance between the essential functionality and the price point. It's up to users to decide whether they are sacrifices they're willing to make. On the whole, we feel that Amazon has got it right.
We liked
The 7-inch form factor is executed far more successfully than the BlackBerry PlayBook, or indeed the earlier Galaxy Tab, as it retains the comforting feel of the much loved Kindle reader. The device feels solid, yet comfortable in the hand, sturdy but never cumbersome.
There's an awful lot about this device that spectacularly defies the bargain basement price point. The build is one of those things, while the refreshing user interface, display, touchscreen and built-in eco-system of content are better than they have any right to be at this price.
The buying experience was perfect and the ability to keep everything in the cloud does its best to negate the paltry 8GB hard-drive. We were also really impressed with the first iteration of the Silk browser, which is likely to get better.
We disliked
Because of the price point we were able to go a little easier on some of the Kindle Fire's limitations, of which there is a laundry list.
The decision to omit things like a front-facing camera, a microphone, 3G data connectivity, Bluetooth, GPS, the Android Market, greater internal storage (and the option of external storage) were made to keep costs to a minimum.
Regardless, these are things that we've come to expect on all mobile devices and they are invariably missed.
The software is largely great, but needs some kinks ironing, while the battery life disappointed somewhat. The lack of native Google-built apps is a problem and the privacy issues that arise with using the Silk browser is something to keep an eye on.
Verdict
The Amazon Kindle Fire represents astonishingly good value for money; perhaps the best gadget bargain of this era.
The company has unquestionably succeeded in doing what it set out to; to produce a brilliant media consumption device that doesn't break the bank. It's a solid tablet perfectly tailored to its aim of pushing you to buy digital content from Amazon.
It isn't an all-singing, all-dancing device that ticks all the boxes, neither does it attempt to be. It's is an enjoyable device to use and defies its price point in almost all areas.
However, because of the limitations we've mentioned above, this can't be considered an iPad Killer. The iPad does absolutely everything better and so it should at double the price. This, however, is an entirely different proposition to any other tablet on the market and can't be judged on the same merits.
People who want an iPad will still buy one. However, due to the sheer number of Fires that will sell, it will be the first device that can truly compete in terms of popularity and uptake.
Rather than hurting Apple, it is more likely to damage the other Android tablet-makers seeking £400 of your hard-earned for their latest offering. It was already difficult for Motorola, LG and and co to justify their prices, now it's nigh-on impossible.
They will have to cut their own prices and develop ways to combat Amazon's content-buying platform. This means more choice and better deals for everyone.
The Amazon Kindle Fire is here and the tablet landscape can never be the same again. Now all we need is for Amazon to confirm a UK launch date and price and all this excitement will finally be actionable.
The Kindle Fire Tablet Review will give you an indepth look at the new tablet. You can now decide whether it is for you or not. So now that you have the entire Report, what are your thoughts.
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