Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD review: Android tablet for media consumption - derStandard.at

Since mid-June, Amazon offers the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and the smaller 7-inch model also in Austria. Although the tablets based on Android, the user experience is of the well-known user interface of other Android tablets but far away. So the Kindles at everything revolves around Amazon’s content offering that ranges from music to magazines, to your own app selection. The journal collection moves through the recent acquisition of the Washington Post by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in a new light. The WebStandard has the larger model closer look.


Hardware

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is currently the largest tablet. The display size is a rarity. 2011 also brought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch screen on the market. Otherwise, the choice of 8.9 is – or 9-inch models scarce. Amazon’s tablet has an 240 x 164 x 8.8 mm and weighs 567 grams large housing This Samsung model is approximately the same thickness, weighs 470 grams but less significantly.

The rubberized back works stable, but can be as with most other tablets do not remove to replace the battery can. There is a micro-USB and mini-HDMI port on the lower longitudinal side. On the right side headphone output, volume control and power button are located.


speaker

Not optimal

is the position of the speaker on the back, which can be hidden by the hands when holding easily. However, the sound of the stereo speakers is very good for a tablet.


memory and connections

When

storage user can select the wireless model between 16 and 32 GB. In the USA, an LTE version will be offered, which has 32 or 64 GB installed. Expansion through Micro SD card is not possible.

GPS is only available on models with mobile data, ie when the units are sold in Austria, not integrated. WLAN 802.11 a / b / g / n can both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz are used. Bluetooth is also on board, about to keyboards to connect wirelessly.


display

8.9-inch IPS display offers a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and thus a pixel density of 254 ppi. On the iPad 4 or Google Nexus 10, comes close completely, the display of iPad mini Kindle Fire or the smaller HD but are exceeded. The display has vibrant colors and a high viewing angle, but also reflected strong. Reading outdoors in the sunshine – only to a limited extent

– as with many other tablets.

camera

Both

Kindle Fire HD models are equipped with a front camera that can record 720p videos. To a higher-resolution camera on the back Amazon has waived. The camera is thus most suitable for video calls and also offers no other operations of photos or videos.


performance

processor is a 1.5 GHz clocked dual-core OMAP 4470 from Texas is the instrument used. When AnTuTu benchmark test, the tester reached a rather low value of 7.236, which is comparable with some older smartphones. Especially in games the performance is not always very fluid.


battery life

Amazon specifies a period of around ten hours for the tablet. For the WebStandard test the display brightness is set to 100 percent and used the Antutu battery test, which increases the CPU usage to 100 percent and the display can be switched on continuously. After 3.5 hours the battery was completely drained. Striking was the strong heat development at the rear, which can be uncomfortable for longer holding the device in their hands or on their knees.


Software

The software of the Kindle Fire HD is based on Android 4.0, the familiar Android interface has been reworked and drastically reduced from Amazon. Instead of the home screens on which you can store apps and widgets, a splash screen will be presented with content. In a carousel view the most recently opened apps, games, websites, e-books etc. are displayed.

Prolonged tapping content can be deleted or added to a favorite bar that is called a star on screen. To the settings you get a notification bar which is drawn from the top of the screen as in conventional versions of Android.


Integrated cloud

In the upper area of ??the screen also has a menu bar for Amazon purchases, games, apps, books, music, videos, web browser, photos and documents. In each case, the contents that are stored directly on the device display, as well as content from the Amazon Cloud. About Cloud Drive 5 GB available to users free of charge for photos, videos and documents. Amazon content can be stored indefinitely.


Intuitive

The user interface is for Android users get used to, since you are more elements expected: App Launcher, multiple home screens, or the settings menu. However, the operation is very intuitive by this reduction. All content is made accessible by a screen.


No access to Google Play

Of all the areas you can quickly get into Amazon’s store to reload more music, games, books and apps. On the Google Play however, there is no direct access and curated in the Amazon App Store, not all applications available. So you will not find it as the official YouTube player. In addition, Android users can not transfer to the Kindle, since you can not log on with the Google Apps account their previously purchased. Instead, the own Amazon account is already set up in the delivery of the unit.

restrictions but can be bypassed. Optionally, you can allow the download of apps from other sources and so install apps from other sites. Who rootet his Kindle, also can install the original Google Play Store and thus has access to more apps and previously purchased content.


magazines

an advantage over Google Play Store offers the App Store in magazines, at least in Austria. Because Google’s official magazine App Play magazine in this country is not yet available. The Amazon store has a great selection of mostly free magazines.

The range mainly includes lifestyle and news magazines such as Vogue, Spiegel, Focus Magazine, Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar. Austrian and international newspapers, however one looks in vain. In the U.S. store the offer is much larger and includes among others, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, which has now been taken over by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.


e-reader

The integrated reader for e-books and documents offers a wide range of features and options. Thus, for example font size, line spacing, margins, font, or color mode change. Users can choose between a representation and let zweitspaltiger and also read the text of selected books.

A handy feature is the highlight of terms that can be looked up in the dictionary, Wikipedia, or the Web. Users can also display on which other places in the book containing these terms and take notes. These notes can be published on Facebook, Amazon and Twitter. Also places can be marked in the book and other popular markers readers be browsed.


formats

last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights are synchronized and are available on the Kindle apps on other tablets, smartphones or computers specified.

text documents are natively supports the formats Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, DOC and DOCX. Editing is the e-reader, however, not possible, apart from notes.


Music

music can be transferred directly from a computer via USB to the Kindle, downloaded from the Amazon cloud or be bought new in the Amazon store. Purchased at Amazon or listen to music loaded on a device from the cloud, the tablet for each user account must be authorized. If you want to play cloud music from another account on the Kindle, no other account can be used for 180 days. Creating multiple user accounts is not supported.

online storage is free for all Amazon purchases and 250 imported titles. Imported songs are also compared with the Amazon catalog and converted in accordance to 256-Kbps audio.


videos and games

videos can only be transmitted from the computer to the tablet. The video-on-demand streaming platform LOVEFiLM is only available in Germany. Who wants to transfer HD movies on the device, however, is pending in the small space quickly.

games are similar to Apple’s Game Center to iOS Game Circle. Users can create a profile, show performance, and compare with other players. Scores and levels are synchronized online and are also available on other devices.


email and Facebook integration

preinstalled email app only supports webmail accounts and Microsoft Exchange to sync emails, contacts and calendars. Here the latest news to be charged for a faster access to messages. About the settings users can also link their Facebook and Twitter accounts to download or to share your content on the social networks as Facebook photos.


browser

Amazon has developed a browser that offers “cloud-accelerated” Surfing With Silk. A part of the calculation to build a website via the Amazon Web Services cloud. The browser is a SunSpider value of 1,630.3 ms but no wonder thing and not just shines through good performance. Google’s own Android Chrome browser can not download the way through the Amazon App Store, just as Firefox and Opera.


Conclusion

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD tablets are well suited for mobile media consumption – to read, for music and video playback. Cloud and Amazon stores are seamlessly integrated and need not be specially decorated. The interface is very reduced and provides access to all the available content at a glance.

However, if you want to do more with his tablet, the Kindle series will quickly feel as restricted. Widgets and folders do not exist, the homescreen favorites, but no apps for quick access can be stored in a separate bar. The App Store does not offer the same scope as Google Play. Also a different personalization through themes or wallpaper is not possible.


price

priced Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is one of the most attractive tablets. Advertising-supported – special offers are displayed on the lock screen – costs the 16-GB version 269 euros. Without discount you have to shell out 20 euros more for it. (Birgit Riegler, derStandard.at, 06/08/2013)

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