The home screen is nothing short of inspired. The drop-down action bar gives one-click control of rotation, volume, brightness, Wi-Fi, music playback and more. Within minutes, you have a tablet that knows who you are, what you like and your entire Amazon shopping history. Choose a Wi-Fi network - there's no 3G here - and the Fire automatically updates and registers itself. From the moment you open up the anonymous recycled cardboard box and hit the Fire's power button, Amazon, not Google, is in control of the experience. Amazon OS may be based on Android, but it's a world away from the rough and tumble of Google's open-source system.Īmazon hasn't just skinned Android: it's gutted, cleaned and dressed it. Welcome to the world's newest mobile operating system. But with the more flexible Google Nexus 7 battling for your cash, you've got a decision to make whether you're happy getting the bulk of your movies and books from Amazon or whether you'd prefer the more open Android experience of the Nexus 7. Both are convenient, cohesive and very easy to use. The Fire is worth buying for the same reasons as the iPad. Ignore the glare - video quality is usually great and the screen controls are admirably simple. In the meantime, this review of the US Kindle Fire will fill you in on many features that will be similar, but be aware there may be variations when the new version arrives on these shores. We'll try out the improved model with a full in-depth review shortly - feel free to bookmark this page and check back nearer to the release date to see what we think about the souped-up tablet. The Kindle Fire has had its specs bumped up for the UK release with a new 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. The views below are based on the US version we reviewed in November 2011, but which never saw the light of day here.
We'll know more about how obtrusive the ads are when we give the Fire a full review when it arrives in late October. One big change you should be aware of is that both Kindle Fire tablets will have 'special offer' ads on the lock screen, which we don't like the sound of.
If you like the sound of the Kindle Fire and its cloud-based features, but want a high-definition screen, check out our review of the Kindle Fire HD, which is the same size but has a more detailed screen. The new model goes on sale on 25 October and costs a mere £130, £30 less than its closest 7-inch rival, the Amazon has beefed up the specs for the Kindle Fire, giving it more power than the version that's been on sale in America up until now.