With such a plethora of Android tablets
around it takes a lot to stand out. But is a revamped version of Amazon's
Kindle operating system and a few extra offerings enough to beat the likes of
the GoogleNexus 7?
The Kindle Fire HDX 7 is on sale now for £199.
Design
The Kindle HDX is a very well built device -- solid but lightweight, with a sturdy rubberised plastic backing. There's a single power button on the back along with a volume rocker but that's it for hard controls.
The Kindle HDX is a very well built device -- solid but lightweight, with a sturdy rubberised plastic backing. There's a single power button on the back along with a volume rocker but that's it for hard controls.
The screen is a bit of a stunner, offering a
pin-sharp resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels, which boils down to 323ppi -- equal
to the Nexus 7's justly praised display. It's gloriously sharp and detailed
whether you're watching HD movies or browsing detail-heavy websites and colours
are rich and vibrant without seeming OTT.Android and features
Amazon has tweaked the standard Android interface considerably and made it look much more, well, iOS-like. There's a series of big, rounded icons along the bottom and a scrolling list of apps across the main screen. At the top there's also a bar of text links for books, movies, apps, games etc. The simplified layout adds to the overall impression of slickness and ease of use -- this is a tablet that's very comfortable to use.
Something you won't find on other tablets (at least not yet) is the Mayday button. Pressing it gives you instant access to an Amazon support desk person via an in-screen video link (you can see them, but all they can see is your screen) who'll talk you through any problems you might have. It's a pretty slick service and we never had to wait longer than 30 seconds to be put in touch with someone -- very handy for tablet newbies.
The lack of access to the standard Google Play app store will frustrate some, though many of the big name apps are available from the Amazon store, including Facebook, Spotify and Skype. You also get £4 to go towards your first magazine purchases (cough cough -- issues of Wired only costs £2.99, by the way -- cough cough).
You'll pay another 70 quid to get the 4G version which could come in handy if you're likely to be travelling far from Wi-Fi, and like to stream movies from LoveFilm on the go (you're limited to streaming for now by the way, since there's no option to download LoveFilm content for watching later).
There's no camera on the back, which is not necessarily a bad thing (does anyone really use their tablet for photography?) but there is a 1.2-megapixel camera on the front for video calls (Skype's already on there but you can add others from the Amazon store).
Conclusion
If you choose a Kindle tablet you probably don't want to bother with the sometimes confusing world of standard Android, and Amazon's simplified, iOS-style interpretation of the interface delivers that. Yes, you can add the Kindle app to any other Android tablet, but with the Fire HDX you also get access to Amazon's lending library and of course the Mayday button. It's a good tablet, and a solid alternative to Google's Nexus 7.
If you choose a Kindle tablet you probably don't want to bother with the sometimes confusing world of standard Android, and Amazon's simplified, iOS-style interpretation of the interface delivers that. Yes, you can add the Kindle app to any other Android tablet, but with the Fire HDX you also get access to Amazon's lending library and of course the Mayday button. It's a good tablet, and a solid alternative to Google's Nexus 7.
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