I tried to make the first 2 sections as informative and as objective as possible, hoping that anyone not yet decided whether they want a Fire or not may find this at least marginally useful. The rest and the star rating should be heavily influenced by my own subjectivity and biases.
PLAYING WITH FIRE (USABILITY)
______________________________________________________
[NOTE added on Aug. 1, 2012]
Q: The Fire was released back in 2011. Should I buy this model today?
A: No. The Fire was a great buy during the year it was launched and shortly thereafter but, as time went by, newer and better tablets became available and Amazon is likely to announce an updated and upgraded version before the end of the year. In the second half of 2012 tablets such as the Nexus 7 matched the Fire's price and greatly surpassed it in features: faster CPU, better screen resolution, camera, Blue-tooth, GPS, microphone, open to the larger Android world and running the latest version of Android. The best course of action would be to hold on until Amazon announces its new model(s), then make an informed decision.
______________________________________________________
Q: Do I get free and unrestricted access the Web?
A: Yes. The Silk, multi-tabbed browser allows access to just about anything on the Web.
Q: Can I store songs, video, photos on the Fire?
A: Yes. The Fire has about 5GB of physical storage space. In addition, Amazon offers 5GB of free 'cloud' online storage for non-Amazon media.
Q: Is the 5GB of physical storage large enough for, let's say, 50 apps, 1000 songs, 1000 photos and 100 home videos?
A: Yes, except for the home videos.
Q: Does 'Kindle' indicate that this is a true reader, like the other Amazon Kindles?
A: No. The Fire is a customized Android tablet with a backlit touchscreen. While it does come with a Kindle app accessed through the 'Books' tap on the home screen, the reading experience is similar to that from any other tablet.
Q: Does the Fire make it easy to access Amazon content?
A: Yes. The Fire was designed to facilitate that. You will have easy and immediate access to you Amazon-purchased books, music, video and apps and to their related stores so that you may purchase more.
Q: Does the Fire make it easy to access non-Amazon content?
A: No. You can transfer and retrieve/play non-DRM content directly into the Fire via an USB cable. Anything stored on Amazon's Cloud that's non Amazon-purchased shouldn't exceed 5GB or you will have to pay a fee for the additional storage.
Q: If I have another Android tablet/phone, will I have all the already-purchased apps available on the Fire?
A: Yes and No. YES for all the apps downloaded from Amazon's Appstore and NO for all others.
Q: Are 'major' apps such as Netflix or Pandora preinstalled?
A: No but they are easy, quick and free downloads from Amazon's Appstore.
Q: Is the Amazon Appstore the default store for Android apps?
A: Yes. And Amazon would like it to be the only store.
Q: Do I have access to non-Amazon Android app stores?
A: No. Or not unless you are prepared to engage in some serious tinkering. While you can install Amazon's Appstore on any Android tablet from Google's Marketplace, Amazon's Appstore does not carry a Google Marketplace app at the time I'm writing this.
Q: Can I install apps from sources other than the Amazon's Appstore?
A: Yes but it's not easy. A Fire setting will enable the installing of non-Amazon Appstore apps but, without access to third-party app stores, some skills are required.
Q: Are there any Google apps available at the Appstore?
A: Not at the time I'm writing this.
Q: Is it easy to buy Amazon digital or non-digital merchandise through the Fire?
A: Yes, it's very easy. Fire is built to facilitate that.
Q: Is it possible to turn off 1-Click?
A: Yes and No. 1-Click can be disabled for non-digital purchases but it can NOT be disabled for digital purchases.
Q: Can I prevent my kids or anyone else from making purchases while using the Fire?
A: You can password-protect access to the Fire itself but, once in, it's impossible to prevent 1-Click ordering of digital content.
Q: Are there ANY restrictions I can set?
A: You can disable in-app purchases or you can set parental controls with a PIN for in-app purchases if enabled. Post-patch, you can password-protect Wi-Fi.
Q: Are 'parental controls' limited to requiring PINs for in-app purchases?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it possible to make any of my past digital purchases disappear from Fire's 'cloud'?
A: No. (According to Amazon's Customer Service rep.)
Q: Would Amazon allow me to 'return' digital items that I (or someone else using my Fire) ordered by mistake?
A: I was told by a Customer Service person that there is a 7-day refund policy on digital items. Not tested by me.
Q: Does the purchase come with any perks?
A: Yes. You get one-month free Amazon Prime which translates in free 2-day shipping and access to Amazon's streaming video library.
Q: Did the Dec. 20, 2011 patch address all parental control and unrestricted 1-Click issues?
A: No. Password-protecting Wi-Fi access does not address these issues because it's an 'all or nothing', crude and ineffective answer to real concerns. Password-protecting Wi-Fi is not a solution to anyone who would like to allow access to most cloud content but restrict or block 1-Click purchases and access to certain categories of content.
INTO THE FIRE (SPECS AND FEATURES)
Q: Is the Fire display bright and sharp?
A: Yes.
Q: Is battery life on par with today's expectation?
A: About 4 hours of battery life are a little bit less than what competition offers.
Q: How does the Fire connect to the outside world?
A: Fire is a Wi-Fi device. There is no 3G/4G. You can also connect and transfer connect from a PC/laptop via the USB port.
Q: Can the Fire be charged from a laptop or a standard USB charger?
A: Not very efficiently. The charger that comes with the Fire is rated 1.8A/5V. Generic USB chargers output a lot less than 1.8A.
Q: Does the Fire have cameras?
A: No.
Q: Does the Fire have a microphone?
A: No.
Q: Does the Fire have a motion sensor?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the Fire come with GPS, compass, IR sensors?
A: No.
Q: Does the Fire have Bluetooth?
A: No.
Q: Does the Fire have an HDMI port?
A: No.
Q: Is there any way to pair a physical keyboard, speakers or some display device with the Fire?
A: Not at the time I'm writing this.
Q: What are the sound output options?
A: Sound outputs through the speakers or through the headphones port.
Q: Absent volume control buttons, is it possible to control volume through Fire's virtual controls from within an app?
A: It depends on the app. Some apps do not allow it.
Q: Is Fire's storage expandable through memory cards?
A: No.
Q: Is CPU performance adequate?
A: Yes.
KINDLING THE FIRE (my conclusions and rating)
I found the Fire to be a good pick for anyone seeking a small, portable interface into the digital content world 'out there', especially but by no means limited to Amazon-provided content. However, for anyone who would like to share their Kindle, the Fire may be a little too hot to handle at this time, especially if you are sharing it with kids or if it's meant to be used by a kid. Please read my note at the bottom of this review for the details. I also listed Fire's other issues with the hope that I may be able to help anyone not sure whether the Fire is indeed what they want.
After several months of me and my daughter playing with the Fire I can say that I am generally pleased with my purchase. I will be thrilled once Amazon addresses at least the huge problem having to do with parental controls over Fire-made purchases. I also hope that Amazon open the Fire a little bit more to non-Amazon content sources and... please... I want my Gmail app.
The Fire is Okay because it's an inexpensive, easy to use, capable, not fully locked tablet. It makes it easy to buy and 'consume' all kinds DRMed of media, especially that which is stored in Amazon's cloud (free for all Amazon purchases) and I had little difficulty adding my own DRM-free content. The Fire is not a replacement for PCs or laptops but no tablets are. I don't miss an outward looking camera because there are much better alternatives to taking pics with a tablet but a little cam looking at user's face and a mic (video calls) would add significant value to a good product. Then, of course, there are the issues I listed above.
I'm going to grant the Fire 3 stars at this time. Three stars mean "It's Okay." My rating could and should improve once Amazon addresses some of the issues I listed above.
______________________________________________________
NOTE on 1-CLICK PURCHASES (playing with FIRE revisited)
It is currently impossible to turn off 1-Click purchases of most media on the Fire. This is quite an issue for anyone who has kids, especially if the user happens to be the kid. The way the Fire is currently set up you are going to get your song or your movie or your book almost the instant you touch them while browsing through the store. This may be okay when you are using a laptop because you can set multiple accounts and make sure that only those authorized can order things but the Fire can be easily shared and I'm not aware of a way that would allow both multiple accounts and the ability to access the purchased media at the same time.
To make the story short, it is possible to set some controls but at the App Store only but it's only for in-app purchases. The other media stores: music, movies, books do not allow for any restrictions such as asking for a password or PIN before completing a purchase transaction. The Customer Support person I discussed this verified that this is indeed the case and she promised to forward my feedback to the higher ups. Until then, I am and I will continue to be very concerned. Not that our daughter would knowingly buy the entire Amazon movie library without my permission but that, possibly, one of her friends would do that without being fully aware of what she is doing. Amazon MUST address this or sell the Fire as an 'adults only' product.
--
>> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<