http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/11/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-review-7-inch/
PROS
Great-looking IPS screen
Much-improved design
Strong WiFi performance
Extensive content selection
CONS
Occasionally sluggish performance
Constant sales pitches
BOTTOMLINE
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is a big step forward over the original Fire, but still a little too customized to appeal to more serious tablet users.
Even if you step up and pay the extra $15 to disable Offers on your Kindle Fire HD, you can never and will never shake the feeling that this is less a tablet and more of a tool for shopping -- a Trojan Horse that's let into your home thanks to its low price and then unleashes a legion of must-buy items to completely compromise any walls you've built around your budget.
If you can get past that decidedly subsidized feeling, you do have a compelling package in your hands. The HD is fast, has a nice design, a beautiful screen, proper stereo speakers and, of course, oodles and oodles of premium content. For casual users looking for an inexpensive yet powerful tablet, the Kindle Fire HD should absolutely be at the top of your shopping list. But, for those looking to do more, and do more rapidly, the Nexus 7 is still the king of this diminutive hill.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/11/3317586/kindle-fire-hd-review-7-inch
7.5VERGE SCORE
GOOD STUFF
Terrific display
Ecosystem with Prime is outstanding
Faster performance all around
BAD STUFF
Software can be buggy and sluggish
App selection is still weak
For lean-back experiences only
There are two devices in this review. The first is something like an appliance a window through which you casually view content, a way to listen to music, an e-reader for the train ride home. On that device, things like a big app selection or elaborate user experience take a back seat to content selection, price point, and simplicity. On that device, it's not about going toe-to-toe with the competition in every way (as Amazon seems to want to do), it's about offering a lot of fun stuff to consumers, and getting them to consume more. As that device, the Fire HD is a complete success. A marvel of bottom-line engineering and incredibly clever subsidies. It's a really, really good tablet for doing some very specific things.
But there's a second tablet in the review as well. One that gets compared to the iPad and Nexus 7. One that I expect to do more than just show me movies or help me shop. One that should be a companion for all kinds of things I want to do, that doesn't feel limited, that doesn't respond to my touches slowly, that doesn't make me wait.
As that device, the Fire HD still has a long way to go. I think it can get there, but it isn't there yet.
PROS
Great-looking IPS screen
Much-improved design
Strong WiFi performance
Extensive content selection
CONS
Occasionally sluggish performance
Constant sales pitches
BOTTOMLINE
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is a big step forward over the original Fire, but still a little too customized to appeal to more serious tablet users.
Even if you step up and pay the extra $15 to disable Offers on your Kindle Fire HD, you can never and will never shake the feeling that this is less a tablet and more of a tool for shopping -- a Trojan Horse that's let into your home thanks to its low price and then unleashes a legion of must-buy items to completely compromise any walls you've built around your budget.
If you can get past that decidedly subsidized feeling, you do have a compelling package in your hands. The HD is fast, has a nice design, a beautiful screen, proper stereo speakers and, of course, oodles and oodles of premium content. For casual users looking for an inexpensive yet powerful tablet, the Kindle Fire HD should absolutely be at the top of your shopping list. But, for those looking to do more, and do more rapidly, the Nexus 7 is still the king of this diminutive hill.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/11/3317586/kindle-fire-hd-review-7-inch
7.5VERGE SCORE
GOOD STUFF
Terrific display
Ecosystem with Prime is outstanding
Faster performance all around
BAD STUFF
Software can be buggy and sluggish
App selection is still weak
For lean-back experiences only
There are two devices in this review. The first is something like an appliance a window through which you casually view content, a way to listen to music, an e-reader for the train ride home. On that device, things like a big app selection or elaborate user experience take a back seat to content selection, price point, and simplicity. On that device, it's not about going toe-to-toe with the competition in every way (as Amazon seems to want to do), it's about offering a lot of fun stuff to consumers, and getting them to consume more. As that device, the Fire HD is a complete success. A marvel of bottom-line engineering and incredibly clever subsidies. It's a really, really good tablet for doing some very specific things.
But there's a second tablet in the review as well. One that gets compared to the iPad and Nexus 7. One that I expect to do more than just show me movies or help me shop. One that should be a companion for all kinds of things I want to do, that doesn't feel limited, that doesn't respond to my touches slowly, that doesn't make me wait.
As that device, the Fire HD still has a long way to go. I think it can get there, but it isn't there yet.
Content is slowly filtering through though.
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