Kindle Fire Takes 50% of the Android Tablet Market

Amazon has proved that when it comes to Android tablets, people are going with the cheapest option rather than better options. I'm not even referring to the fact that the iPad is a better tablet than the Android based competition, I'm implying that there are better Android tablets out there than the Fire. The Kindle Fire sacrifices speed, storage, security, and screen quality for price. However, this plan seems to be working, as it's the only Android tablet that actually gained market share between December of last year and this past February. Most consumers are still going with the iPad, but as far as Android tablets are concerned, the Kindle Fire is winning. But are consumers really choosing price over quality?

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iPad Cooler than Competition

Well, yeah, the iPad is "cooler" than the competition. But I'm not referring to whether or not Fonzie would have used one, I'm referring to heat. Consumer reports said that the iPad got up to 116 degrees after playing Infinity Blade 2 for 45 minutes. Wired did the same test, but found the iPad got up to 108 degrees. That might sound hot, but it's really not that bad. After speaking with a doctor, Wired was told that even prolonged use of something that was 116 degrees wouldn't be harmful. The bottom casing of your laptop most likely gets much hotter. But, unlike Consumer Reports (and their awful reporting), Wired took the test a step further, and put some perspective on those temperature readings. They did this by testing other tablets, something Consumer Reports neglected to do.

They had to find a game that was available on all the tablets they tested. While the graphics would be different on each device, they would still push that particular device to its limits. So, they settled on Dead Space, which looks pretty good on all platforms, even the lowly Kindle Fire. What they found was that ALL the tablets heated up when playing a game for 45 minutes (no duh), and that the iPad was actually in the middle, not the hottest, but not the coldest either. The Asus Transformer Prime actually got the hottest, although even there, the difference over the iPad was just 4.5 degrees. In fact, the difference between the coldest and hottest was just 8.5 degrees. They also found the new iPad was only half a degree warmer than the iPad 2. All of the tablets scored below 98.6 degrees, or your average body heat although the Transformer Prime by just .1 degrees). Unless you're a zombie, in which case these tablets may feel quite warm.

I'm hoping this is the last we hear of this whole "heat issue".

Via 9to5Mac and Wired

 

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Conan Roasts the Kindle Fire (Literally)

Kindle Fire users have reported a number of usability issues, security issues, speed issues, and heat from their new devices. On Conan O'Brien's show, they had a few jokes to fire at the the Kindle Fire. My favorite new feature is the one click upgrade at the end.
via CultOfAndroid

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Kindle Fire Users Reporting WiFi Issues

Users of the Kindle Fire are reporting issues connecting to their WiFi networks. Apparently, the device will either be unable to find a network, or, once found, it won't be able to connect.
This is a huge problem for Kindle Fire owners. The Kindle Fire only has 8GB of ob-board storage. This makes access to the cloud incredibly important. Without it, users have access to only a fraction of their content.

There is a potential fix, however. Users can download the latest version of the Kindle Fire OS (6.2) on their computer. Then go out and buy a USB to Micro USB cable (the Kindle Fire doesn't come with one), and update the Kindle from your computer. For most users, this seemed to fix the problem, although it's not a convenient fix.

Also, as pointed out by Gizmodo, it's pretty strange that Amazon decided to start their Kindle OS with the version number of 6.0. It's a brand new OS based on Android, why would it start at version 6? The only reason I could think of is to be able to create some brand confusion... "iOS 5? Come on, we've got a version 6!".
via Gizmodo

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Is the Kindle Fire Browser Secure?

The Kindle Fire has a special type of browser they call the Silk browser. Basically, what it does is handle most of the processing for a website on the server-side, leaving the Kindle Fire with little processing work. It also stores a cache of pages you've visited. The result is a fast browser, even though the hardware itself isn't too extraordinary. Other browsers have done this in the past, namely the Opera Mini browser. There's always been one huge caveat to browsers like this, they have a gaping security hole.

ZDNet addressed this concern soon after the reveal of the Kindle Fire, saying "Silk looks to be very fast and about as private as a bathroom stall without a door". Personally, I'd never use a public bathroom without a stall door, so this should set off a few alarms for people. But is it as bad as they say?

Amazon recently addressed these security concerns, saying they don't use the server to process or store secure requests. That means websites using SSL (https) will be handled by the Kindle exclusively. Common websites that use secure protocols include banking, payment, and even Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Amazon also told the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EEF) that the acceleration features could be turned off, sacrificing the Silk browser's killer feature, speed, for security. But, is that enough?

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Kindle Fire vs iPad

After reading about the Kindle Fire, you're probably wondering "how does this stack up against the iPad?". The answer is a bit complicated. If you just consider the hardware and the OS, there's no comparison; the iPad wins hands down. It's faster, has more storage, optional 3G, a larger screen, more apps, more books, physical controls (buttons!), true multitouch, cameras, a microphone, gyroscope, motion sensors, gps, a compass, more compatible accessories, the same cloud syncing, the iPad is thinner, and even I'm sure there are even more features I can't think of. Clearly, the iPad is a better tablet than the Kindle Fire. But there's more to the story below.


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Amazon's New Kindles

Amazon has been busy. Today, Amazon announced their new tablet, the Kindle Fire, the latest Kindle Touch, and an update to the Kindle. The Kindle Touch and Kindle updates were evolutionary, but very noticeable updates. The brand new Fire, however, is a new type of Kindle, and it's going up to bat against Android tablets and, in some ways, even the iPad. Read up on each new device below.

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