Kindle Fire HDX Arrives Today
If you’re in the market for a new Android tablet then I have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that Amazon’s newest 7″ Android tablet is due to arrive today, bringing joy to the hearts of technophiles across the US. Unfortunately, this tablet is also back-ordered on Amazon.com and won’t be in stock again until 25 October.
This isn’t your average Android tablet (but then again what is).
The Kindle Fire HDX has a 7″ screen with an impressive 1920 x 1200 resolution display. It’s running Amazon’s own Mojito OS on a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor with 2GB of RAM, Wifi, Bluetooth, and a camera (more details here).
It comes with either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of Flash storage, and you can also get a more expensive model with optional 4G LTE from AT&T or Verizon. And since this is a Kindle you can get it with or without ads. The lowest price offered is $229 for the ad-supported model with Wifi and 16GB of storage.
It is of course tied into Amazon’s content ecosystem, so if you’re like me and are addicted to Prime Instant Video then this could be the tablet for you. The new Fire OS supports an offline mode for Instant Video, a feature which is lacking from older Kindle Fire models.
But even if the media abilities aren’t your thing, this tablet could still be for you. Unlike last year’s Kindle Fire HD, the new Fire HDX is focused on more than just media consumption. It should fill the needs of someone looking for a more general purpose Android tablet.
Comments
Michael Anderson October 18, 2013 um 12:09 pm
I am getting one sometime today and also one of the Origami covers arrives Monday (late decision) … my wife has started taking over my Fire HD so I don’t mind so much 🙂 We have a solid investment in the Amazon ecosystem (as well as iTunes, but not so much Google), so I personally prefer this to (bl)Android tablets. Especially the Nexus 7 with its horrifically unusable aspect ratio.
burger flipper October 18, 2013 um 2:09 pm
Not sure if you’re trolling or uninformed, but the 7 inch HDX and the nexus tablet have the exact same aspect ratio (and resolution).
Michael Anderson October 19, 2013 um 1:37 pm
Considering they are both 7″ 1900 x 1200 screens … I am clearly an idiot. Fortunately this isn’t on a public internet site for my ignorance to be displayed in posterity … oops! 🙂
Ben October 18, 2013 um 12:11 pm
Looks like a really good product, although I think the design is going to look quite dated compared to next week’s iPads. But if you believe these stats, even a really good product like the Google Nexus 7 doesn’t seem to change the fact that it’s an iPad world. Browsing time and spending per device for every non-iPad tablet is heading south. My guess is people buy them because they are a bargain but soon relegate them to the drawer or only use them as heavy, overly-bright eReaders.
http://chitika.com/insights/2013/june-tablet-update
Michael Anderson October 18, 2013 um 12:16 pm
Well, to be honest browsing on the Kindle Fire HD is pretty crappy compared to the iPad Mini, even though in terms of screen and performance the two are very comparable. Heck, I’m writing this on my iPad. The Fire HD is great for games (when they arrive), apps and movies as well as reading (prefer my normal Kindle for that though).
Nathan October 18, 2013 um 12:54 pm
Wow I’ve had mine since Monday. Guess all pre-orders aren’t going out at the same time.
Nate Hoffelder October 18, 2013 um 1:23 pm
They must like you.
Michael Anderson October 18, 2013 um 1:59 pm
I hadn’t been keeping up, but apparently a number of pre-orders shipped early, so one batch arrived for Friday / Monday instead of on 'launch day' … today.
flyingtoastr October 18, 2013 um 2:59 pm
Legally the Kindle Fires are not Android devices – you’re barred from using the name in any advertising material if you haven’t licensed Google Play.
Nate Hoffelder October 18, 2013 um 3:10 pm
Um, no?
I have had my hands on any number of tablets that lacked GP and Google certification but they were all called Android tablets. Heck, even Amazon uses the word Android 3 times on the product page for the HDX.
flyingtoastr October 18, 2013 um 3:29 pm
Google owns the trademark to Android, and unless they’ve changed something recently you don’t get legal access to that trademark unless you pay the licensing fee. Cheap Chinese companies ignoring US trademark law doesn’t surprise me one bit, but if Amazon is doing so maybe Google did change their policies. *shrug*
Regardless, calling the KF an Android tablet is like calling dog food a meal. Yeah, it sorta works if you’re desperate, but not really. KF’s are so locked down content-wise that it’s rather insulting to the larger Android ecosystem to have them thrown together.
Nate Hoffelder October 18, 2013 um 3:41 pm
" KF’s are so locked down content-wise that it’s rather insulting to the larger Android ecosystem to have them thrown together."
I don’t see it as being significantly more locked down than the smartphones and tablets that come with non-removable bloatware, or the smartphones that are locked down by the telecoms. Wasn’t it ATT that took the longest time before they would allow the Amazon Appstore? And what about B&N’s first tablets? Those were locked down, and still are.
The KF family may be more locked down than other Android devices but the difference is only a matter of degree.
flyingtoastr October 18, 2013 um 4:23 pm
Yes, because that "nonremovable bloatware" on a phone means you only get access to 10% of the number of apps in the GPS. Oh wait… Also, with Android 4+ you can disable almost all the bloatware that comes with devices – the first thing I did when I opened my HOX was disable the preinstalled Kindle crapware.
Your defense of Amazon is that a couple years ago you could buy devices that were just as locked down? That’s the worst possible justification I’ve ever heard for buying a device. Should I go buy a Newton because in 1995 they were the most advanced handheld device available? A new device needs to be compared to what’s available at that time, and when you stack up the new KF’s to what else in on the market (like a new N7, which blows it out of the water hardware -and- ecosystem-wise, at a lower price) they just don’t measure up.
Amazon is the only major OEM insisting on a closed content ecosystem (not just apps, there’s no native ability to use most other video or music or ebook stores either because Amazon won’t allow their apps) – which means they’re way behind the times. Their app store is small and has horribly out-of-date apps, they get absolutely no support as soon as a new model drops, and they actively block installation of sideloaded apps that might happen to get in the way of them splashing BUY A NISSAN NOW all over the device you just dropped $300 on.
Forgive me for not drinking the Bezos koolaid.
Michael Anderson October 18, 2013 um 5:00 pm
Wait – Nexus 7 "blows it out of the water hardware -and- ecosystem-wise, at a lower price"?
OK, one at a time:
– Price: identical.
– Hardware: same resolution screen (reviews favor color accuracy of HDX), both fast processors, plenty of RAM. N7 has a camera, HDX has much better sound. Blown out of water? Um, again, no.
– Ecosystem: I call that subjective. Google Play has more apps, but Amazon has all of the most used apps, and more and more devs bring stuff to Amazon right away since Android has the worst developer ROI of ANY system. Google has worst-in-class movies, music, and books. So more apps, but the worst at everything else.
Forgive me for not submitting to your Google fanboy ways 🙂
flyingtoastr October 18, 2013 um 5:24 pm
– Price: KF requires you to spend an extra $20 for the privilege of not getting a third of your homescreen eaten by BUY A NISSAN NOW, and you don’t get access to some of the "killer features" of a Kindle device without having a Prime membership ($80/yr). Price advantage: N7.
– Ecosystem: It doesn’t matter that Google has "worst in class" movies and books. With a Google Play tablet you have access to EVERYONE ELSE. Need some better books? Download the NOOK , Kobo, and Kindle apps. More movies? Vudu, a Netflix app that is actually updated (the Kindle version is 2.4.1, GPS has 3.0.1), etc. Yes, maybe Google Play isn’t the best single source for content, but with an open system that doesn’t matter when you can shop around. If Amazon doesn’t have something you want on your Kindle you’re SOL. And do you REALLY want me to go through the top 100 GPS apps and illustrate just how much that Amazon Appstore is missing?*
Support – No Kindle Fire has received any software updates once a new version came out. Google is still happily updating the Galaxy Nexus, a 2+ year old phone.
*Incidentally Amazon has the slowest growth out of all the major platforms for apps – even Windows 8 is beating them at this point (and that’s just plain pathetic). And many developers have voiced strong concerns about the Amazon Appstore’s Publisher Agreement that specifically takes away the right of the developer to set prices (Amazon get’s unilateral control and still pays on commission, so when Amazon drops an app to free for the day by fiat the developer gets absolutely nothing in return).
Nate Hoffelder October 18, 2013 um 5:36 pm
"getting a third of your homescreen eaten by BUY A NISSAN NOW"
My HDX is in hand and I have no ads on my home screen. And I didn’t pay extra.
"With a Google Play tablet you have access to EVERYONE ELSE. Need some better books? Download the NOOK , Kobo, and Kindle apps. More movies? Vudu, a Netflix app that is actually updated (the Kindle version is 2.4.1)"
I have other reading apps on my KFHD. I even have another appstore, which is where I got the apps. If I really need an app I will go looking for it and install it.
"No Kindle Fire has received any software updates once a new version came out."
That’s not true – yet. The original Kindle Fire got an update in March 2013:
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2013/03/kindle-news-kindle-fire-first.html
fjtorres October 18, 2013 um 6:15 pm
I don’t much care either way, but how many biorythm and fart apps does an app store need?
For those of us using the Fires as readers all that matters is being able to install the desired reading apps and that is easily done.
The screens are great and audio quality is excellent so as long as you know what you’re doing you’re not missing anything significant.
And I find I like the ads. 🙂
They’re unobtrusive and relevant.
(No Nissan ads for me. Plenty of SF&F books.)
flyingtoastr October 19, 2013 um 12:19 am
Wow, the original KF got a single bugfix update. Thanks, Bezos!
Seriously, try to be a little more pedantic.
Michael Anderson October 19, 2013 um 1:42 pm
So … more patches = better? Perhaps more patches = buggier?
You are a massive Android apologist, so you probably won’t see that either.
Amazon has the top selling non-iPad tablets for a reason. You can decide what YOU think that reason is, of course.
Is Anyone Else Returning Their Kindle Fire HDX? – The Digital Reader December 15, 2013 um 5:10 pm
[…] unit arrived on Friday, and now that I have had my hands on it for a couple days I have to wonder if it really is any […]