On the heels of Apple's new, lighter iPad, Amazon has come out with a
full-size tablet that weighs even less yet sports a sharper display and
a lower price tag. Although Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't
received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the
strongest challenger yet to Apple's device.The new Kindle shares many of
the features found in a smaller version that came out Oct. 18.A row of
tabs at the top of the screen gives you quick access to Amazon services
such as e-books, music, video and shopping. Recently used apps and
content appear in the middle so you can return to them quickly. The
bottom row has icons for frequently used apps such as email and the
camera.Need help? Just hit the "Mayday" button. You'll be connected
within seconds to a live customer-service representative, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. You see the representatives in a video box, but
they can only hear you and see what's on your screen. They can also help
guide you by placing orange markers on your screen or taking control of
your device completely.I found all the reps to be patient as they
walked me through attempts to locate a missing book, play a podcast and
download items from the Dropbox storage service. In one case, the
representative called my cellphone as promised an hour later to follow
up. We never found a solution on Dropbox, though -- but more on that
later.The best part of the new Kindle is its price. Amazon.com Inc.
begins shipping it Thursday, starting at $379. That's cheaper than the
new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches
diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.since they react to
high temperatures and become unusable as a quantum analyzer.The Shard offers excellent sky-high fine dining, whilecontemporary lamps and
Maltby Street markets feature bespoke food- and wine-tasting
sessions.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even
cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.
If you
can afford a $499 tablet and aren't a heavy user of Amazon services, you
might still consider the iPad Air.Yes, the Kindle is lighter, at about
0.83 pound, or 17 percent less than the Air. But I couldn't really tell
the difference holding the two side by side.And yes, the Kindle has a
sharper screen, with a resolution of 339 pixels per inch compared with
the iPad's 264 pixels per inch. But I couldn't really tell the
difference watching the Pixar cartoon "Monsters University" side by
side.Where the Air shines is in the build. I find the Air more pleasant
to hold because of its curved edges. The Kindle has a soft, rubber-like
back, but it doesn't make up for the boxy edges. The Kindle promises
more battery life -- at 12 hours, compared with 10 hours for the
Air.Valve is about to release the first batch of prototype Steam Machine
computers that it designed, running an operating system the adhesive film.
But I found the two devices drained battery at roughly the same rate
when watching Hulu streaming video.In addition, the Air has access to a
wide variety of apps available through Apple's app store. The Kindle
uses a modified version of Android and can run a variety of Android apps
-- but not all of them. In fact, the new Kindle doesn't run all the
Android apps that are supposed to work with Kindles, including the app
for Dropbox. Many of these apps need to be updated every time a new
Kindle device comes out, whereas they simply work when new Android
devices are out, just as iPad apps work on new iPads.
If you are
drawn by the Kindle's price and don't mind the limited selection,
though, the Kindle is a wonderful option.In addition to the Top Shop
winner, three finalists were also skf bearingthis
year. That's especially so if you're a frequent Amazon customer. The
Kindle is tied to your Amazon account, making it easy to buy everything
from audiobooks to vacuum cleaners with a click or two. You also get
Amazon's recommendations for more things to buy, based on physical and
digital purchases you've made on Amazon in the past.With a $79-a-year
Amazon Prime membership, you also get quick access to thousands of free
movies and television episodes and the ability to borrow one e-book a
month from a select list. You can download the free Prime video to watch
wherever you are. On older Kindle Fires and other devices, you're
limited to streaming, which requires a constant Internet
connection.Another exclusive Kindle feature is called X-Ray. When you're
reading a book, you get information about characters and places from
Wikipedia and other sources. When you're listening to music, you see
lyrics for selected songs. When you're watching a movie or TV show, you
get information on actors, character summaries and trivia. While
watching "Monsters University," I particularly liked the callout to a
pizza truck that appears in most Pixar movies. A little note pops up in
the lower left corner.If the platform takes off, Valve eventually will
contract for wheel alignermanufacturing
of controllers.I'll forgive the fact that it actually shows up during
the wrong scene. I didn't get any supplemental material at all with the
iPad.Another thing I didn't get with the iPad is live help. I had
trouble playing "Monsters University" on the iPad initially because I
hadn't finished downloading it yet. I had to figure out on my own that I
had to switch to a different app to do that. Both the iPad and the
Kindle let you start watching as the download continues.The new
full-size Kindle is a great deal at $379. It might even make a nice gift
for your tech-challenged friends and relatives, as they can call Mayday
rather than you. The Kindle isn't as good as the iPad Air, but it's an
excellent choice for its price.
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