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Where Amazon's Kindle Fire Falls Short The Kindle Fire hit the market with predictions by analysts that it would be a direct competitor for the Apple iPad. There are also hints that Apple intends to answer with a smaller iPad with a comparable cost. The Kindle Fire as a tablet does offer rivalry to higher cost Android tablets in particular. Although the price of the Kindle is tough to beat, there's one area in which the Amazon Kindle Fire falls terribly short. So, what are the shortcomings? Connectivity! As soon as first generation Kindles hit the scene as an e-readers, one of the main selling points was zero cost 3G service from AT&T. You purchased the Amazon kindle coupled with the capability to browse Amazon's e-book store everywhere you were able to get AT&T service which is most areas across the United States. Earlier Kindles provided a cable that connected the device to the computer, therefore, you could download books and transfer them manually. The service flew out the window when the Amazon Kindle Fire arrived on the scene. Delivering 3G to the Fire means data overload for AT&T. Additionally, 3G speeds would not begin to support the capability of the Kindle Fire's dual core cpu. Hence, users are stuck with wi-fi service only . Therefore in order to use the Internet with the device , you will need access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.. The Fire on Lockdown. Apparently Amazon is so concerned that users might gain access to an app market other than their own, that they have omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle fire has 2 ports. The first is a standard headphone jack and the other is the micro USB for charging the device. Amazon doesn't even include the USB cable to connect the Fire to your personal computer like with their other Kindles. To connect the Kindle Fire to your computer, you will need to purchase the cable separately. Only a conventional charging cable is included. The reason why the Kindle Fire might not exactly face up to its competition. Actually inexpensive budget tablets ship with a lot more connectivity than the Kindle Fire. These products are usually rich in options including an SD card slot, USB port and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface connector. Including this connectivity would make the Kindle Fire unstoppable. Having a USB port, users would have the option for using a mobile broadband service to increase connectivity. A USB port also allows expansion of the 8GB memory available on the Kindle as would an SD card interface. Answers to the connectivity issue are really limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential would be to root the unit. An operation that is not for the novice and is a bit of a gamble that can void your warranty. Nonetheless, as soon as the unit is rooted, you then have the choice of adding in more app stores and expanding the ways the Fire can be used. Apart from that, there's really no way currently to expand the cabability to connect the unit to the Web. Many apps are pointless without online connectivity save for downloaded games and stand-alone productivity apps and tools. If rooting is out of the question, then users should purchase the connection cable and sideload programs onto the device. It isn't really too hard to acquire app files, download them to your pc, after which you can drag and drop the file onto your Kindle Fire. The Fire is going to do the rest. With new tablets showing up in the market regularly targeting the cheaper prices, the Fire will quickly lose its edge. There are already tablets out there which are only $30 more than the Fire with all the features plus the connectivity options listed above. Bear in mind Bluetooth. Bluetooth provides a whole new dimension of connectivity to your device. Think of a Kindle Fire which has a real keyboard, not the virtual onscreen type. It is a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step up with a tablet that actually has the user in mind instead of their pocket book. Want more data on Kindle Fires, Android tablets and mobile computing? Visit Android Tablet Reviews HQ. You will find news and info on the most recent trends and technology. Also check out the latest Android tablet reviews to find the perfect device for you.
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