Kindle Fire review roundup: Amazin' Amazon tablet or dud iPad wannabe?

[It] really does bring something fresh and clever to the tablet space — namely, an insanely low price...but its real-world performance and utility match neither...public expectation, nor the standards set by the world’s best tablets. ... Fire lives at the bottom of the...food chain — and this limits what the Fire can actually do. ...  [But] the Fire is pretty good bargain for anyone who’s only comfortable with cautious toe-dipping in...murky (and expensive) tablet waters.
...
Despite all claims from Amazon that its Silk browser technology would bring sublime web-surfing performance...I found the tablet’s overall web experience to be quite ratty. ... A great platform for casual video playback. ... Near useless as a magazine reader.   

  
Tim Stevens adds:

[It] feels incredibly solid, as if Amazon simply put a chisel to a big piece of slate. ... It's the same dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor that powers the PlayBook, but...paired with only 512MB of RAM and a mere 8GB of storage. ... [T]here's no 3G option yet. The tablet supports 802.11b/g/n on 2.4GHz and had no problem [connecting] and staying connected...but we kind of wish there were a 5GHz option.
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[It has] a 1024 x 600 IPS LCD panel that measures 7-inches from one corner all the way over to the opposite one. ... With more and more smartphones starting to offer 1280 x 800 resolutions in...four and five inches we might have hoped for a bit more.
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Fire is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. That...version of the OS...hasn't shown up in a top-tier tablet for quite some time. But don't fret...as it's been quite comprehensively buried.   

Matt Hamblen rambles on:

There's no question that consumer marketing experts believe that $200...makes it easy to open your wallet to buy a gift. ... [Even] some current iPad owners might spend for a cheaper, smaller second tablet.
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Kindle Fire...[is] priced low enough [to] attract...interest from average people...who might have a home PC, but [not] a smartphone or tablet.  They aren't the early adopters that...lust after the newest Apple or Android device. ... [It's] democratizing tablet technology, and might be so successful that Apple will drop the prices of the iPad.   

But Lance Ulanoff is conflicted:

This is a product I wanted to love. The Kindle Fire’s unveiling was so impressive. ... Instead, now I’m discovering it’s a somewhat flawed gadget. ... The Amazon Kindle Fire is a tablet that simply works. ... This is a smart tablet with a fully thought-out ecosystem.
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The device has its share of quirks. ... These are all likely 1.0 issues that are easily solved with a software update. ... Most of these gripes are minor...you have to step back and look at all you’re getting for $199. ... It is the closest tablet I’ve seen yet to an Apple iPad: a consistent, well-thought out marriage of hardware and services.   

And Joshua Topolsky verges on liking it:

The size and shape might very well be the sweet spot for many users. ... [It] isn't a speed demon. ... I never really found myself worrying about charging the device. ... The [shopping] experience is far more integrated than it is on the iPad or any other Android tablet. ... Because the Fire is on Android 2.3, many of the applications offered feel like glorified phone apps. ... [But] there's no question that the Fire is a really terrific tablet for its price.   

Meanwhile, Devindra Hardawar notes that it's actually shipped early:

Kindle Fire will begin shipping today, a day earlier than...originally planned...perhaps a sly way to keep pre-ordered customers from cancelling?
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JP Morgan predicts that Amazon could sell up to 5 million Kindle Fires by the end of the year. ... If you’re an Amazon addict, the Kindle Fire’s flaws may [not] seem like...a deal breaker. Indeed, it seems like the perfect way to experience Amazon’s...massive catalog.
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Overall, it seems like the tablet is best suited for...easy access to Amazon’s content [and] some basic tablet features.   

And it prompts Wilson Rothman to ponder iPad pricing:

iPods saw substantial price drops year over year, as features improved and hardware evolved. The iPhones...also came down fast from their initial, punitively high cost.
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So when will the inevitable iPad price cut hit? My guess is...when Apple chooses to launch iPad 3. My...theory is that Apple will release...a microscopic-pixel Retina display [iPad 3]...for $499, and then sell a basic...version of the current iPad 2 for $399. ... What would be cool as all get-out...would be if the top of the line started at $399, and the budget model was $299.
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Whatever happens, it's highly unlikely that a price slashing will occur before Christmas. Apple just doesn't play that game.   

  
And Finally...
Amazing time-lapse view of Earth from the ISS
[hat tip: About a million people on my Google+ stream]

      
 
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. He's the creator and main author of Computerworld's IT Blogwatch -- for which he has won American Society of Business Publication Editors and Jesse H. Neal awards on behalf of Computerworld. He also writes The Long View for IDG Enterprise. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com. You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.