When Amazon
launched the original Kindle Fire in 2011, the $199 tablet was a surprise hit that reigned as one of the top
budget tablet options. But that reign came to a dramatic end with the
introduction of the Nexus 7, Google's flagship Android 4.1 tablet.
To keep
things interesting, Amazon just upped the ante with a Kindle Fire HD, offering several key hardware
improvements, overhauled software, and that same $199 price tag. And while it's
not likely to send Google back to the drawing board, the Kindle Fire HD does offer an interesting
alternative to the pure Android experience of the Nexus 7.
Which of
these $199 tablets is right for you? It's a tough call, so let's weigh the pros
and cons and check the specs.
Kindle Fire HD
Pros:
If your main use for a tablet is entertainment, there's plenty to love about
the Kindle Fire HD. Like its predecessor, this tablet is inextricably tied to
Amazon's much-beloved ecosystem of digital media storefronts, including Kindle
e-books, Amazon MP3s, and Amazon video on demand. Members of Amazon's Prime
service ($79 per year) are entitled to bonus features, such as free
streaming-video content and free books from Amazon's lending library.
A new
feature called FreeTime allows parents to place caps on how much time their
children spend on the tablet. Amazon's Whispersync system allows gamers to save
their progress and lets book lovers jump back and forth between written and
audio forms of some book titles. And the expansion of Amazon's X-Ray feature
gives fans behind-the-scenes information on their favorite movies and TV shows,
in addition to e-book analysis.
In terms of
hardware, the Kindle Fire HD has a few features that the Nexus 7 can't boast.
You get the option of a 32GB capacity ($249), not offered by Google. There's an
HDMI output for sharing content on a connected TV. And for those of you who
typically dislike the reading experience on a tablet, Amazon paid special
attention to Kindle Fire HD's display, using no-gap lamination techniques and
antiglare polarization to dial in the readability. The inclusion of a
dual-antenna Wi-Fi antenna system should (in theory) allow for greater Internet
speed and improved streaming-media quality.
Cons:
The Kindle Fire HD is a closed system that, for the most part, plays nice only
with Amazon's own services along with a selection of apps that is dramatically
limited compared with Google's Play store. Its hardware lacks many of the
sensors found in the Nexus 7, including NFC, a digital compass, and GPS. To
that end Amazon also lacks an integrated Map or Navigation app, as these would
rely on some of the omitted sensors.
Android apps
purchased through Google are not easily installed on the Kindle Fire HD, nor
are apps purchased through Amazon easily installed on all types of Android
devices (though the latter action is easier to accomplish).
Nexus 7
Pros:
The Nexus 7 tablet produced by Google and Asus delivers an undiluted Android
experience. It runs Google's most advanced version of the Android 4.1 operating
system, Jelly Bean, which includes advanced features such as voice commands,
NFC, and context-aware information though the Google Now dashboard. Features
such as Google Maps and GPS make this tablet a great traveling option. The
breadth of apps and games is second only to Apple's. Android apps purchased for
the Nexus 7 can also be easily added to many compatible Android smartphones.
The deep integration with Google services (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive) can
allow professionals to seamlessly juggle between computer, phone, and tablet.
Cons:
While the Nexus 7 has arguably the most easily usable Android interface yet,
the device's overall complexity may intimidate users focused solely on
entertainment and Web browsing. The $199 base price includes only 8GB of
storage, compared with the 16GB offered by Amazon for the same price. Google's
entertainment ecosystem (movies, music, and e-books) doesn't measure up to
Amazon's, though it is improving quickly.
|
|
Kindle Fire HD 7"
|
Nexus 7
|
|
Dimensions
|
7.6 inches
by 5.4 inches by 0.4 inch (HWD)
|
7.8 inches
by 4.72 inches by 0.41 inch (HWD)
|
|
Weight
|
13.9
ounces
|
12 ounces
|
|
OS
|
Custom
Android 4.0
|
Android
4.1
|
|
Processor
|
Dual-core,1.2GHz
OMAP 4460
|
Quad-core
Tegra 3
|
|
RAM
|
1GB
|
1GB
|
|
Storage
|
16GB or
32GB
|
8GB or
16GB
|
|
Front
camera
|
Yes,
unknown type
|
Yes, 1.2
megapixel
|
|
Rear
camera
|
No
|
No
|
|
Battery
|
11 hours
|
10 hours
|
|
Charge
type
|
Micro-USB
|
Micro-USB
|
|
3G
|
No
|
No
|
|
Wi-Fi
|
802.11
b/g/n (MIMO)
|
802.11
b/g/n
|
|
Bluetooth
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Screen
size
|
7 inches,
antiglare, laminated (IPS)
|
7 inches
(IPS)
|
|
HDMI out
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Resolution
|
800x1,280
pixels
|
800x1,280
pixels
|
|
Book store
|
Amazon
|
Google
Books, third-party
|
|
App store
|
Amazon
|
Google
Play
|
|
Book
formats
|
Kindle
(AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, DOC, DOCX, Audible (Audible
Enhanced (AA, AAX))
|
App-dependent,
more inclusive
|
|
GPS
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Gyroscope
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
microSD
|
No
|
No
|
|
NFC
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Adobe
Flash
|
No
|
No
|
|
Microphone
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Other
features
|
Cloud storage
backup, wireless sync, Whispersync, Amazon Silk Web browser, Amazon Lending
Library, Prime Instant Video, Dolby Digital Plus audio, X-Ray, FreeTime, MIMO
dual-band antenna
|
Larger app
selection, Google Now, Voice Commands, broader accessibility options,
integration with Google services (Gmail, Docs, Maps, Drive), location-aware,
|
|
Price
|
$199 16GB,
$249 (32GB)
|
$199 8GB,
$249 (16GB)
|
Product Family : HP
