I should say first that I’m kind of an Amazon junkie. I buy a lot of books and other things through them. With Amazon Prime ($79 a year), you often get two day shipping at no extra cost. However, I received no compensation from Amazon for this review; if they ever want to compensate me though, I’ll take it.

The Kindle Fire – There are two important things to take away from this review. Because I am so nice, I’ll give them to you first.

1. This is not a tablet; it is a sweet device you can use to consume media. Don’t waste time comparing it to the Ipad; besides you know how I feel about Apple anyway.
2. Amazon is basically at war with my beloved Google and other sites I use often like Facebook and Twitter. These companies are not represented on the device. You can navigate to their websites, but they do not have dedicated applications.

I’ve broken down the rest of the review into pros and cons.

Cons:

1. There are no Google applications. I find this frustrating – mostly because there’s no Google Reader.
2. There is no physical volume control on the device. Every time you want to change the volume you have to go into the application.
3. The battery life is OK, but not great. It’s better if you keep the WiFi off.
4. The power button is at the bottom where you thumb naturally goes to hold the device. This seems like such a stupid design flaw to me. I guess they should have asked me to be a tester before they made millions of these babies.
5. Magazine reading isn’t as enjoyable as I thought it would be.
6. There are only 7GB of space available. I understand how the cloud works, but because of how the WiFi can sometimes be a battery drain having more space would be nice.

Most of these cons would not bother the average user.  I am picky about technology. I’m guessing if Jeremy was using this device he wouldn’t even notice things like access to the volume.

Pros:

1. It’s extremely affordable. At $199, it’s a deal.
2. The Fire is really easy to use. Anyone could set this up in five minutes; you really just type in your email address.
3. Reading books is a pleasure. The text is clear. You can get the definition of a word with one touch. I’ve already read two full books on mine, and I’ve only had it a week.
4. There are non-Google applications to support your Gmail and Google Calendar.
5. Working with a cloud is really nice. You can always download and delete movies, books, and music. I’m really glad that even though Netflix is a competitor, Amazon made a deal with them.
6. There is a free app available everyday from Amazon.
7. Movies from Netflix and Amazon look great. YouTube looks great.Videos load quickly.
8. The internet is pretty speedy (it has improved already).  The Kindle Fire is so much faster than the Nook Color. I’m pretty sure the Nook Color was using dial-up.
9. I know it’s a bit heavier than some E-Readers, but I like how sturdy it feels.
10. The display is quite frankly beautiful. Lots of websites are optimized for the “tablet” like ESPN.

Having used the Nook Color and the Kindle Fire, I really like the Fire. Is it flawless? No. Do I think it’s one of the better devices out there right now to use for frequent media consumption? Yes.

I would recommend this device. I’d give it 3 out of 4 stars. Make your Black Friday shopping easier and pick up one of these a gift card for your favorite person.

If you have any questions about the device, leave a comment or send an email.