by Oreoluwa Fakorede

At its unveiling on September 28, 2011, online superstore Amazon’s 7-inch form factor tablet was hailed (like several failed hypes before it) as the true iPad killer. But with its dual-core 1GHz processor running on an unimpressive 512MB of RAM, internal storage that peaks at eight measly gigabytes, a capable yet somewhat mundane LCD touchscreen and the lack of a 3G connectivity option, some might mistake the Kindle Fire Android device for well-advertised ‘smoke without the tiniest hint of a flame’.

“…the Kindle Fire beats all comers with a bargain basement price…”

CONS:
More akin to RIM’s, er, unpopular Blackberry Playbook in style, the Kindle Fire is quite behind the iPad 2 (or the original iPad for that matter) in battery life and visual appeal. It also falls short of the performance, power and aesthetic benchmarks set by Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1, the reigning king of Android tablets.

PROS:
Looking on the bright side though, the Kindle Fire beats all comers with a bargain basement price of $200 (NGN 50,946 in theory), a one-of-a-kind user interface as well as guaranteed (paid) on-the-go access to the very best of Amazon.com’s extensive, cloud-based library of e-books, songs, apps and other media.

With all these presented in a better-than-average package, it’s safe to say that when portability and value for money are the only criteria for excellence, the Kindle Fire’s shortcomings can be pushed all the way to the background. The device will be available for purchase this month.

Interested? Check out the latest images of the Kindle Fire in action below.

Photo Credit: Gawker

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