Amazon has now improved the Kindle to the Kindle Fire. At only $199, it has been turning lots of heads. Yes, you can read books, magazines, and newspapers easily off of it. Hey, it’s in color and has the same resolution as the Barnes & Noble Nook at 1,024 x 600. The iPad 2 is at 1,024 x 768. It weighs 14.6 ounces which is a little less than the iPad 2.
The big difference lies in the storage. The Kindle Fire is only at 8GB whereas the iPad 2 is larger at 16 – 64GB. Plus, the Apple support folks have jacked up the iPad 2 speed to a Dual-core A5 processor whereas the Fire’s is only as Dual-core. No camera for the Kindle Fire, and of course there are two on the iPad’s. No GPS or 3G like the iPad, but there is of course Wi-Fi. The battery life is the same at 8 hours. The screen is 2.7 inches smaller.
The big plus on the Kindle Fire is reading books. If you’re an avid reader, then buy it over the iPad 2. Also, you’ll save at least $3-400 bucks. Yes, you can only download books from the Amazon and Android apps store. But, Amazon itself holds one of the biggest databases of reading content. The iPad does have the ability to download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and others so there is nothing lacking on the iPad 2 support end.
It really comes down to how much more you want to do on your tablet besides reading. If you just want to read, and not do much more, get the Kindle Fire. You’ll save money and have a lighter tablet to carry around for what you need. If you want to download lots of apps, read, email, and watch videos, go with the iPad 2. The technology support on the Kindle Fire is just as easy as with the iPad 2 so that aspect is a wash.
