The Kindle Fire hit the market with forecasts by experts that it would be a direct competitor to the Apple iPad. There are also rumblings that Apple intends to answer with a smaller iPad with a similar cost. The Kindle Fire as a tablet does offer competition to more pricey Android tablets in particular. Even though the cost of the Kindle is tough to beat, there's one area in which the 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.
The service ceased as soon as the Amazon Kindle Fire came out. Providing 3G to the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. Not to mention, 3G speeds wouldn't be able to support the ability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. Therefore, users are limited to wi-fi service only on the Kindle Fire. This implies in order to use the web with the device , you must have access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.
The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. It seems that Amazon is so worried that users might gain access to an app market other than their own, that they've omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle has two ports. One is a regular headphone jack and the other is a micro USB to charge the device. Amazon doesn't even include the USB cable in order to connect the Fire to your personal computer . In order to connect the Fire to your computer, you will need to purchase the cable separately. Only a standard 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 really limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential is to root the device. A procedure that's not for the rookie and is somewhat of a gamble that would void your warranty. Nevertheless, as soon as the unit is rooted, you then have the option of adding in more app markets and broadening the ways the Kindle could be used. Besides that, there's really no way currently to expand the ability to connect the unit to the Web. A large number of apps are useless without connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and utilities.
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 showing up in the market all the time targeting the less expensive prices, the Kindle Fire will rapidly lose its edge. There are already tablets on the market that are $30 more than the Fire with all the current capabilities as well as the connectivity options listed above. Don't forget Bluetooth. Bluetooth provides a new dimension of connectivity to your device. Imagine a Fire which has a real keyboard, and not of the virtual onscreen variety. It is just a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step-up with a tablet that truly has the user at heart 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.
The service ceased as soon as the Amazon Kindle Fire came out. Providing 3G to the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. Not to mention, 3G speeds wouldn't be able to support the ability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. Therefore, users are limited to wi-fi service only on the Kindle Fire. This implies in order to use the web with the device , you must have access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.
The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. It seems that Amazon is so worried that users might gain access to an app market other than their own, that they've omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle has two ports. One is a regular headphone jack and the other is a micro USB to charge the device. Amazon doesn't even include the USB cable in order to connect the Fire to your personal computer . In order to connect the Fire to your computer, you will need to purchase the cable separately. Only a standard 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 really limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential is to root the device. A procedure that's not for the rookie and is somewhat of a gamble that would void your warranty. Nevertheless, as soon as the unit is rooted, you then have the option of adding in more app markets and broadening the ways the Kindle could be used. Besides that, there's really no way currently to expand the ability to connect the unit to the Web. A large number of apps are useless without connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and utilities.
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 showing up in the market all the time targeting the less expensive prices, the Kindle Fire will rapidly lose its edge. There are already tablets on the market that are $30 more than the Fire with all the current capabilities as well as the connectivity options listed above. Don't forget Bluetooth. Bluetooth provides a new dimension of connectivity to your device. Imagine a Fire which has a real keyboard, and not of the virtual onscreen variety. It is just a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step-up with a tablet that truly has the user at heart 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 net. Read as many Android tablet reviews as possible to make certain you are getting a device that is right for your lifestyle.
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