A 1280
×
800 multi-touch Gorilla Glass display displays 189 ppi (pixels per inch) and a choice of
16 million colors. Graphics are provided by a PowerVR G6200 chip (Fire 7) or a Mali T720 MP2/3
(HD 8).
The Amazon Fire offers a 3.5 mm headphone socket, although a built-in speaker is also
available. You’ll also find a micro-USB 2.0 type-B connector, along with wireless connectivity
(802.11b/g/n). Note that there are no mobile internet variants. Bluetooth 4.0+ LE is available,
which is good, as
Bluetooth is becoming increasingly important
. The Fire also includes some
sensors: light (HD 8 only), accelerometer, and gyroscope. There’s also front (0.3 megapixel) and
back (2 MP) cameras.
1.1 Combining Amazon’s Media Service with a Tablet
For all intents and purposes, the Amazon Fire is an Android tablet. The difference comes from
the marketplace ecosystem. On Android, you’re mostly tied to Google Play. On the Amazon Fire,
it’s the digital services of Amazon. As such, the Amazon Fire requires an Amazon account,
rather than a Google account.
Using Android as a starting point for the Amazon Fire tablets means that various Android apps
and games can be downloaded from the Amazon App Store, along with video and audio
media.
Amazon Prime members
get the benefit of movies, TV shows and music as part of their
subscription, which can all be enjoyed with the Fire tablet. This versatility makes the tablet a
good choice of TV catchup device, just as it is a good choice for an eBook reader.
Of course, this is nothing new. Many of us have the Kindle mobile app that does essentially the
same thing. But with the Amazon Fire, you have your library of books and other media
presented to you front and center.
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