By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Amazon's Kindle’s e-Ink eReaders have really set the standard for design and functionality. Their Android tablets, however, have always been a bit of a mixed bag. Focused on content consumption, they don’t offer the full range of Android features, apps and functionality you'd get from a Nexus 7 or any other Android tablet, but give just enough for the average user to be more than satisfied.
Average user? If we focus on most users who simply want a tablet for email, web browsing, a few games and Facebook plus the ability to enjoy eBooks from Amazon, then something like the Kindle Fire HD 7 could very well be all one needs.
What one needs to understand is that Amazon devices are all designed to work primarily with Amazon’s Cloud services.
This means consumers can best enjoy the music, movie and other services available via the tablet. Amazon is a big cloud content player and is even creating its own streaming shows for their customers. In certain countries, like the US and the UK, they also offer a stunning selection of music as well as movies ripe for streaming on a device like the Kindle Fire HD 7.
If you’re not accessing all these cloud services, there’s not much reason to go for the Kindle Fire HD 7, or any other Kindle tablet for that matter unless you really, really want a 7-inch eBook reader with somewhat limited content playback functionality.
Sure, you get a nice set of specs for the money. A 7-inch display with a 1280x800 resolution and 216 pixels per inch is near Retina level of detail, a powerful 1.5 GHz quad core processor, dual cameras and if you do have an Amazon subscription can choose from over 700,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks free for 30 days. The tablet itself is fast, responsive and quite stunning to look at.
Since my interest is primarily reading (I much prefer a dedicated eReade than a tablet that might offer distractions) the Kindle Fire HD 7 is a good option for commuting and for reading in the dark (although the Kindle Paperwhite is still the gold standard for straight-up eReaders with backlit capability).
The interface, app store and overall user interface of the Fire HD 7 is really focused on Amazon-first and other devices second. If we were in the US, and had access to all the Amazon content, this device would be a no brainer, specially at its price point.
But since Canada is unable to access all this other glorious content (not withou jumping through hoops and employing VPN servers to fool Amazon into thinking you're in the US, not worth the hassle). So as outstanding as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 is, anyone who know what it can truly be capable of, will feel like it is wasting its full potential on just being an eReader and siloed Android tablet.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5