Kindle Fire Review – Not Kid Ready….Yet

Dec 18, 2011 by     No Comments    Posted under: iPad, PC, Web

A couple weeks ago I finally got my hands on a Kindle Fire.

I am also an owner of an iPad, iPad 2, and Archos Android Tablet.

Overall I love the Kindle. But there is a major problem….no way to lock out the ability to purchase stuff without a password.

As you can imagine, the Kindle is highly integrated into Amazon’s various services. Having access to the Kindle store, Amazon Streaming (Prime Member FTW), MP3 Cloud, and Amazon App store is great. But it comes at a price. In this case, about $40 worth of UmiZoomi videos.

My 2 year old son is a pro at navigating the other tablets. After about 5 minutes, he managed to figure out the navigation on the Kindle Fire. He manged to find the Amazon video streaming section. Within seconds, he found the kids shows and started clicking the Buy Season buttons. By the time we caught on, he had purchased 2 seasons worth and was getting ready to purchase some more shows. Thankfully the customer service reps at Amazon gave us a full refund. (Thanks!) I was also told that a “kids mode” is in the works.

Other than that issue, we have loved the Kindle. I will tell you that it is NOT as good as an iPad…..but it is less than half the price. I was also concerned that the size might be too small. But it is perfect for sitting on the couch reading a book, surfing the web or my new favorite thing…reading magazines on it.

The one thing I wish Apple would steal….er…..develop, is the most recent app carousel. Just like flipping through album covers on an iPad, the front screen of the Kindle allows you to flip through your recent apps. This coupled with the Kindle is broken up into sections like Video, Web, Music, ect. make it a breeze to navigate.

I am surprised how substantial the Kindle feels. The glass on the front is smooth as….well…glass and the back has a slightly rubberized back to it. I checked out a ton of Android tablets that were twice the price and nothing has come close to the build quality on the Kindle.

Once they get the kids mode figured out, the kids will get to play with it more. But in the mean time, my wife and I get it all to ourselves….which is not a bad thing considering how awesome it is.

Got anything to say? Go ahead and leave a comment!