FIRE HDX 8.9 TABLET, 8.9" HDX DISPLAY, WI-FI, 16 GB - INCLUDES SPECIAL OFFERS

Built-in Feature Come With Product

1. Our most powerful tablet ever
2. All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
3. Incredibly light design, weighing just 13.2 ounces
4. Exclusive 8.9″ HDX display with over 4 million pixels (339 ppi / 2560 x 1600)
5. Enjoy more than 33 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, Android apps and games
6. 8 MP rear-facing camera and front-facing 720p HD camera
7. Ultrafast 2.5 GHz quad-core processor for quick app launches and fluid graphics
8. Free, live video support 24×7, 365 days a year with Mayday
9. 2 GB of RAM, with 16, 32, or 64 GB storage and free unlimited cloud storage for Amazon content and photos taken with your Fire devices
10. Rich, multi-dimensional audio with crisp, clear sound and no distortion
11. Stay connected with fast web browsing, and email and calendar support including Gmail and Outlook

FIRE HDX 8.9 TABLET, 8.9″ HDX DISPLAY, WI-FI, 16 GB – INCLUDES SPECIAL OFFERS

You might be currently in doubt whether to buy right away or not. Do not be in a hurry, understand and know in advance more information about what you will use frequently later. Mistakes will make you regret it later.

What They Say About ‘FIRE HDX 8.9 TABLET, 8.9″ HDX DISPLAY, WI-FI, 16 GB – INCLUDES SPECIAL OFFERS’

The new Fire HDX 8.9 is definitely one powerful tablet, packed with some pretty nice features. While it does have some small flaws here and there, it generally is an all around great buy. I’ll go over some of what I’ve noticed using the tablet, what I’ve learned from others who are using it, as well as the specs and how I feel about them. Hopefully it’ll give you more insight into the product and help you make an easier decision whether or not to buy it.

*** BUILD QUALITY ***

One of the first things I noticed was the outstanding build quality. The tablet weighs less than much of its competition, and provides a nice feel due to the materials used in making the case which gives you a nice grip so you don’t drop the tablet as easily. Everything feels solid… it doesn’t have that cheap feel that some of the Android based tablets have. Apple still holds the title for most durable case as it’s aluminum but unless you plan on throwing this thing around, you don’t need the aluminum… it weighs more and it’s cold!

*** SNAPDRAGON PROCESSOR AND GPU ***

This new HDX 8.9″ comes with the 2.5Ghz Snapdragon processor and a nice GPU so this is going to be one of your fastest tablets on the market at the moment, if not the fastest. Intel and NVIDIA are continuously working on CPU’s for the tablet and Chromebook markets, bragging about their performance and how they blow away the competition. Acer, for example, is utilizing an NVIDIA Tegra K1 ARM based CPU running at 2.1GHz quad-core. That is insanely fast for something like a Chromebook which functionality wise, is pretty much the same thing as a tablet. Unfortunately for Acer, the Snapdragon CPU on the Fire HDX is more powerful (2.5 GHz vs. 2.1 GHz) and appears to be using less power. Acer (NVIDIA) has some catching up to do! The HDX definitely gets some bonus points in that department.

GPU wise, the HDX comes with an Adreno 420 graphics processor which delivers high frame rates and as Amazon claims, 70% faster graphics performance than the previous generation Fire HDX 8.9. Amazon equates the graphics experience to that which you’d find on a game console which is a pretty impressive claim and from what I’ve seen, it’s legitimate! Graphic-intensive games and advanced apps are ultra-responsive, run smoothly and use less battery power. This power savings is due to the low power consuming processor, and the LTPS LCD screen which I’ll discuss now:

*** GRAPHICS & SCREEN PERFORMANCE ***

The screen is simply amazing with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 30% more pixels than Apple’s Retina display, along with the most accurate color calibration, accuracy, contrast, and brightness of any other tablet on the market… it is hands down, the best screen you can get right now, which makes me wonder why Amazon cut corners on the camera? (More on that later.) I’m going to go into a lot more detail on the screen right here so you can skip this part if you’re fine knowing the screen is amazing! 🙂 For the nerdy tech stuff about the screen, read on:

NERDY SCREEN INFO: The screen has low reflectance (if that’s a word?) so it’s still easy to use outdoors in sunlight, and indoors where you may have a lot of overhead lights that typically would cause glare. Reflectance was measured at roughly 5% which is currently the lowest of all tablets on the market. The brightness is very high, in fact, it’s higher than any other tablet at the moment, and it has amazing high ambient light performance. Color accuracy wise, every HDX display is individually factory calibrated for color accuracy and intensity and they’ve been doing this now since last year I believe. They’ve done a nice job with that as I’ve tested the HDX against a specialized photo editing monitor I use and the colors were nearly identical. This has typically been unheard of in tablets but Amazon really raised the bar here. Image contrast is also accurate and the HDX is using a 4 million pixel density (339 ppi) display meaning even with 20/20 vision, the naked eye will not be able to distinguish individual pixels. This also means the HDX has 30% more pixels than Apple’s Retina display–Personally I think this is a bit overboard because you’ll never notice those 30% extra pixels but who cares, it’s an amazing screen! The HDX uses an LTPS (Low Temperature Poly Silicone) type LCD screen which makes it very power efficient giving the tablet longer battery life and allowing it to dedicate more power to the processor and GPU, making the tablet run faster without quickly draining the battery. As a power-saving comparison, the HDX’s screen is 30% more efficient than the IGZO display used in the iPad Air.

*** AUDIO ***

Go buy yourself some decent headphones to appreciate the Dolby Atmos sound system built into the Fire HDX! Atmos is a newer sound technology and although it is already being used in other devices, the HDX is the first tablet to implement it. The sound is great but you’re only going to get the most out of it with a good pair of headphones! The rear facing speakers are loud enough and decent enough to hear, but they don’t take full advantage of the Atmos sound so again, get a good pair of headphones. As Dolby, the designer of Atmos puts it: “The sound comes from all directions, including overhead, to create an immersive experience with astonishing clarity, richness, detail, and depth. Dolby Atmos is the first audio format based on audio objects rather than channels. In Dolby Atmos, any sound–the helicopter, a blaring car horn, a yelling child–can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. It can be placed and moved anywhere, including anywhere overhead.” That basically sums it up. Needless to say, BOSE has some catching up to do!

*** OPERATING SYSTEM ***

Like the iPad and the Galaxy Tab, the Fire HDX has a nicely thought out and implemented operating system to work within. It’s based on Android, however, Amazon has removed any references to Android in the software to help distinguish itself as its own OS (more on this in the detailed section below.) Fire OS offers free, unlimited cloud storage for all of your books, photos, music, etc., and Android OS (Google) does this as well for its Galaxy Tabs, although they only offer 15 GB of free storage. Apple’s iOS has something similar as well for its iPads. It’s hard to say which operating system is better than the other as all three are very well thought out. As I mentioned earlier, however, you’re going to find way more apps on the Google Play Store and the iTunes Store. Amazon is continuously adding apps too and the same developers who are making the apps for Google and Apple, are starting to make their apps compatible with Amazon.

NERDY OPERATING SYSTEM INFO: Again, skip this part if you don’t need the super-specific details. In case you’re new to the Fire OS operating system, it’s basically a modified Android OS. Amazon doesn’t like to say that anymore since they’re trying to make Fire OS its own thing and distinguish themselves from other operating systems so they say it’s “Android compatible.” In reality, the Fire OS 4.5.1 update you get with this tablet is built using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is Unix based and built on Android 4.4.3., API level 20. What a mouthful! It looks nothing like Android but since it’s built on it, it behaves the same way and as Amazon says, it’s “compatible” with Android. Even though the operating system is built on Android, Amazon has (not surprisingly) blocked Google Play from being a native app on the device. You can still side-load it and use it but to use Google Play Apps, you’ll need to switch the “Apps from Unknown Sources” to ON in the Applications Settings Menu.

*** CAMERA ***

I was not impressed with the 8 MP camera at all which is unfortunate because Amazon did such an awesome job with the display! What happened Amazon?! Competitor’s tablets, specifically the Galaxy Tab and the iPad have much better camera resolution and overall clarity. If you don’t need the camera, no need to worry about this but if it’s going to replace the camera on your phone, you better compare the pictures you’re getting on your phone or hand-held camera to the ones you’re getting on the Fire HDX first. This MUST be addressed by Amazon as it’s the biggest pitfall with the product. A later release may address this since so many people have also complained about it.

*** AMAZON PRIME BENEFITS ***

Personally, I have Amazon Prime mainly because of the shipping, and the fact that I stream a lot of videos on my home television for free with the Prime Instant Video. I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail here as there is an entire section on Amazon’s main menu dealing with the benefits of Amazon Prime but I will say, if you’re paying for Prime Membership ($99/year or $49/year for students) you’re going to benefit even more going with this tablet over the competition. From streaming thousands of free videos, millions of songs, buying videos to watch, borrowing books for free, and so much more, it really makes the Fire HDX stand out from the crowd as neither Google, nor Apple has anything similar that I’m aware of.

*** APP AVAILABILITY, SOFTWARE, AND MAYDAY SERVICE ***

If you’re switching over to the Fire HDX from an iPad or Galaxy Tab, you’ll definitely want to make sure everything you’ll need is either already pre-installed, or, is available on the Amazon App Store. If not, you may want to reconsider purchasing. If it’s not an app you must have now, it will likely be available in the future as app developers continue to make their apps cross-compatible with the various operating systems. Google Chrome App developers, for example, are currently working hard to get their apps to function correctly with the new NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor (the first Tegra based processor to be used in a Chromebook.) The same concept applies to the Fire HDX.

As is the case with previous versions of Amazon’s Fire OS software, the Fire HDX’s interface is easy to learn and use. If you’ve used other tablets such as the iPad or Galaxy Tab, you’ll get the hang of it pretty easily. It does take a little getting used to if you’re completely new to the world of tablets but even children and seniors can figure out how to use the Fire HDX quickly. Apps launch fast, browsing is seamless with no lag and there are plenty of apps to choose from. Certainly not as many as Google or Apple have to offer, but enough where you’ll likely find something that will work for your purposes. New apps are constantly being developed.

The HDX does come with internet browsing, calendar and email support, specifically for Gmail and Outlook. Office docs can also be edited using on-board software.

The MayDay service is unique to Amazon and it’s basically an instant customer service feature. This can come in handy especially when first using the device, but also down the road when you’re having problems with potential software crashes, issues downloading books, movies, or music, and so forth. It’s available 24/7, 365 days per year and allows the customer service rep to see exactly what you’re seeing on your device so they can walk you through fixing your issue. They can even draw on your screen remotely to make it even easier! This feature isn’t running constantly so you don’t have some customer service rep watching everything you do… you have to manually turn it on and start the MayDay program to begin.

*** PRICE COMPARISON ***

$379 is a lot of money to drop so it’s important to feel out the competition and make an informed decision. Looking only at the price and not comparing the features, pros, or cons, the base model HDX is $120 less expensive than a new iPad Air 2, just slightly less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S-8, and $100 less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S-10.5. I’ve listed the price as both a Pro and a Con because while it is less expensive than some of the other tablets on the market, at $379, it’s still out of the budget for many potential customers looking for a tablet for their kids for schooling purposes, games, etc., especially if you’re buying more than one!

*** POWERING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME ***

Typical start-up process, similar to what you’d go through setting up a new smartphone, but you’ll want to have your Amazon account information handy because like any other tablet, you’ll have to go through a quick registration process and sync process to get your Fire HDX up and running. This really doesn’t take much time but it is necessary in order to get your WiFi connected and your books, music, videos, and files synced.

*** PROS AND CONS ***

I’ve compiled a list of some of the pros and cons I’ve experienced in testing the product, as well as some of the common pros and cons I’m seeing other users reporting. One reviewer got upset because I shared his pros and cons in this review so I’ve removed his pros and cons and made a much more comprehensive list that is more professional and addresses many issues he left out that people were asking about. We’ll start with the pro’s:

*** PROS ***

1. **PROCESSOR**: The Snapdragon processor, which is becoming mainstream in many of these devices including Chromebooks and smartphones, is blazing fast. It’s a 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU and the speed is fast enough for everything you’ll need to do on this tablet. I’m pretty sure this CPU even blows away the new NVIDIA Tegra K1 CPU’s Acer has been using in their devices, and bragging about being the fastest out there… they run at 2.1 GHz quad-core, slightly slower than the Snapdragon.
2. **DISPLAY**: The display is the best on the market with 30% more pixels than Apple’s Retina display, 30% more efficient than the iPad Air’s display (thanks to the LTPS LCD screen), and unmatched color accuracy, brightness, and contrast. NOTHING beats this display.
3. **GRAPHICS**: The new Adreno 420 graphics processor delivers game-console quality graphics. I have noticed some excessive battery drain under high GPU usage situations but nothing alarming when compared to similar devices.
4. **SOUND**: The Dolby Atmos audio system is phenomenal but you won’t get the full experience without a decent pair of headphones. The speakers are acceptable, in fact, they’re better than most laptops, but they don’t take full advantage of the Atmos technology.
5. **OPERATING SYSTEM**: The Fire OS operating system is nice and stable. As discussed above, it is built on the Android OS, rebranded, and modified to be Fire OS. (As of 11/22/2014, I’ve seen enough reports of the HDX crashing for no particular reason, several times per day, that I feel it’s worth warning you about. While I haven’t experienced this myself, it’s something to think about. Again, it’s a brand new product and software patches should hopefully correct these issues.)
6. **CAMERA (PRO AND CON)**: The tablet has a front and rear camera, although this is more of a “con” because the cameras are horrible, as addressed earlier in the review but some people need them so they’re a pro and con. One reviewer on here is saying the camera is acceptable in bright light… it’s not.
7. **UNLIMITED CLOUD STORAGE**: Like most tablet and Chromebook manufacturers are doing nowadays, unlimited cloud storage is included for your books, photos, videos, and music. Google does this as well but only offers 15 GB. (Update: As of 11/22/14, I am getting multiple reports from people saying the storage is NOT unlimited but rather 5GB. I am waiting for a response from Amazon to confirm this.)
8. **AMAZON PRIME BENEFITS**: Amazon Prime benefits, if you have it (it’s $99/year and $45/year for students I believe) are great including being able to checkout books for free, stream thousands of movies, millions of songs, etc.
9. **CONNECTIVITY**: HDMI and VGA adapters can be connected to the device due to the SlimPort enabled micro-USB port
10. **OFFICE SOFTWARE**: Like other tablets and Chromebooks, there are apps to view, edit, and create Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint presentations.
11. **EMAIL SUPPORT**: The HDX 8.9 also supports web browsing, Gmail, and Outlook. Haven’t tried Google Calendar yet but I’m hoping that is supported, too.
12. **WiFi**: The 802.11ac Wi-Fi is the new standard for tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops and is included in the HDX. Speeds can reach 600Mbps (4x faster than the previous generation) and with MIMO (Multiple Input and Multiple Output), you can multi-task high-bandwidth activities like streaming music on wireless speakers, while downloading an HD movie, and transferring high-resolution photos, for example
13. **PRICE (PRO AND CON)**: Price is reasonable for what you’re getting and is comparable to other products on the market. If you’ve already invested into the Amazon environment via Kindle usage, etc., it may be cost effective to stay in that operating system/format.

*** CONS ***

1. **BUTTON PLACEMENT**: This could be a pro or a con I suppose, but the buttons are on the back of the device which may be annoying for some, yet appreciated by others. That’s up to you to decide.
2. **LACK OF EXPANSION PORT: No expansion options! This is a big one for me because with the exception of Apple, almost every other manufacturer gives you the option to insert an SD card to expand your storage capacity. Not the case here with the HDX.
3. **ON-BOARD SPEAKERS**: The speakers are loud enough but they’re on the back of the device and more importantly, they were not designed around the Dolby Atmos system so if you want the Atmos sound quality, you’ll need to use a good pair of headphones.
4. **CAMERAS (HORRIBLE)**: The camera is disappointing as I mentioned earlier in the review but you can record in 1080p resolution (not impressive given the QUALITY of the 1080p video due to the disappointing camera.) Again, this is a tablet, not a camera, but come on Amazon, smart phones are using amazing cameras now… put a better one in the HDX!
5. **TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY**: Buy now or wait for a more substantial upgrade? I put this is the con section because this HDX is not a HUGE upgrade over 2013’s HDX and I have a feeling Amazon is going to step up their game even more, especially now that they’re beginning to gain substantial traction in the tablet and even smartphone market. I know I keep mentioning the camera being crappy and I will say, Amazon is almost 100% likely to address this in a future update since so many people are complaining about it so if the camera is important to you, you may want to hold off for right now.
6. **PRICE (PRO AND CON)**: I have this as a pro also because it is reasonably priced, however, it is not a product that everyone can afford and a lot of people I’ve spoken to, and showed the device to people who want to get one for their kids for reading, games, and schooling purposes… unfortunately, it’s the price point that’s holding them back. As I mentioned to them and I’ll mention here, to get a decent tablet, you’re going to have to pay close to $400 no matter which manufacturer you go with. I understand this isn’t in the price range of everyone so I’ll leave this as a pro and con as it is very affordable to some, and not so much for others.
7. **NO NATIVE SUPPORT FOR GOOGLE PLAY STORE**: Google Play Store is not a native app on the HDX. It can be side-loaded but involves changing some settings. Dozens of users are also reporting problems with app compatibility, apps freezing, Android apps simply not working, etc. Keep in mind though, this is a brand new device… it’s going to take a couple months for patches to be released to address all the bugs.
8. **GOOGLE APP COMPATIBILITY ISSUES**: Using certain Google apps would require “rooting” the device which is not advised as it voids your warranty and could affect the ability to use the MayDay service. You’re better off finding Amazon apps to use than doing something that could either “brick” your device or void your warranty.
9. **FREEZING/LOCKING UP**: (Updated 11/23/2014): After about a month, I have noticed the device occasionally locks up for no apparent reason, usually when streaming audio or video. MANY other users are reporting the same thing. This will likely be fixed with a software patch but for right now, it is a pretty big problem for a lot of people.
10. **BATTERY POWER**: Something is eating up a lot of battery power. The screen is a special type of LCD that is highly power efficient so my guess is, the power drain is coming from the CPU and GPU. It’s not horrible, but it’s not great either. And as we all know, every time you recharge the battery, the battery life gets lower and lower over the course of a year or two. As far as I know, the HDX’s battery is NOT serviceable so this could be problematic in the future.

*** CONCLUSION ***

The bottom line is, you really can’t go wrong with this tablet. What it comes down to is your needs in a tablet. Do you need apps that are only available on the Google Play Store or the iTunes store or have you already heavily invested in them? If so, you may have to eliminate the Fire HDX from your list and stick with the operating system you have now. If you’re brand new to tablets in general, or all you’re looking for is a great, beautifully performing tablet with the best display on the market, blazing fast processor and WiFi, console-quality graphics, combined with a stable and proven operating system, and a solid feel and durability, then the Fire HDX immediately moves to the front of the line. Besides the camera, I honestly cannot think of a problem serious enough to caution me from giving the green-light to make the purchase. Personally, as much as I love the new HDX 8.9, I’m going to stick with my Galaxy Tab and Chromebook (and Kindle Paper White for eBooks) because I’m so heavily invested into Google apps but I will say this: I will continuously be jealous of the HDX every time I pick up my Galaxy Tab!

*** If you found this review helpful, please let me know! I try my best to spend time with the product to review it in detail and pass on what I discover to you. I do this to help you make a stress-free decision on whether or not to purchase the product, and to let the manufacturers know about any flaws or defects in their product. I appreciate you reading my review and I hope it was helpful to you! ***

UPDATED ON: 11/09/2014, 11/19/2014, 11/20/2014, 11/21/2014. 11/22/2014. More updates will be added as the product is tested further and more data comes in. I know this is a lot of info but I hope it has been helpful to you in some way!

Great device; it’s zippy, has an AWESOME display, great sound for a tablet (rivals/bests any portable device I currently own, including laptops) has incredible ease of use and I’m basically "all-in" on the Amazon ecosystem. I know people lament the loss of Google Play, but I’m a simple guy who doesn’t actually "need" absolutely everything. I can watch movies/videos from the major streaming services I use (Netflix/Prime), music (Pandora, Spotify, Prime), the various apps I use for fantasy sports, reading emails, ebooks (honestly the main reason I bought this thing), and reddit. That’s more or less all I need it to do, and it does all of these things beautifully and quickly.

The reason for the 3 star is because, as of this review, the device has the SUPREMELY ANNOYING HABIT OF LOCKING UP. It seems to happen most often when I’m running a music program while reading or browsing then attempting to shutting it off. It occurs to me anywhere from once to three times a day, but this is a device that I only use when I’m traveling around or somewhere away from my home computer, so those 1-3 times happen at the most inconvenient opportunities.

Example of a recent situation: I’m waiting for my class to start so I’m hanging out at the college library, listening to some stuff on Prime while flipping through reddit, with headphones on. It’s time to go in, so I switch to the music app to shut it off and simultaneously remove the headphones to put it in my bag. Except it locks up; the screen stops moving, I lose any and all functions to use it, and the music just KEEPS ON PLAYING. I can’t shut it off. I can’t even manually shut off the device by holding the power button; doing so just shuts off the display, yet the sound continues and now I’m just looking at a black screen that won’t turn back on. I feel like the biggest d-bag standing there in the library with music just playing at full blast. I was mortified. There are kids around me studying for exams for Christ’s sake. My final option (when it finally occurred to me) was to just plug the headphones back in and toss it in my bag, scurrying out with my head down and refusing to make eye contact. When the lockup happened again later at home, it took a little over 2 minutes (I’m guess, it was about the duration of one song) before the screen started working again. So…that happens.

I’m not the only one to complain about this either. It’s a shame; I love this device, more than any other tablet I currently have, because it does everything I want in a quick and intuitive manner (this my second Kindle, and I personally love the carousel). But this little bug or whatever is positively rage-inducing, especially on a brand new product I just dropped almost $479 on. Until it’s fixed, I don’t feel comfortable taking it anywhere with me in public wherever A) I’ll be playing any kind of media, and B) headphones are required.

I’m writing this review with the benefit of being an experienced Kindle Fire user vs. someone brand new to the Kindle family. In summary, you are getting a great deal on a tablet computer – especially if you compare it to the $500 or more you can spend on a Wi-Fi version of iPad. Overall, if you consider the price and the functionality I think this is a great tool / toy if you watch a lot of video or play a lot of games on your device: the video quality is outstanding. If you are a first-time large-screen tablet buyer, where price vs. value is a key consideration in comparison to more expensive versions, I’d recommend it. If you’re comparing last year’s HDX model to this version and it is operating fine, I’d say save your money and continue to get your money’s worth out of that one.

My review below compares a lot of the features of this version of the Fire HDX to last year’s Fire HDX but also some of the features for a first-time user.

Consistent with my experience with setup of previous models of the Fire, setup took a while: despite being a brand new product, the Fire attempted to download and install several operating software updates. You just need to be patient while it downloads and installs.

Screen Display / Video Playback:

This version of the Fire has the best screen display of any previous model of Fire and looking at the technical specs Amazon made some major changes in the display / resolution, and the picture appears more crisp in a side-by-side comparison to last year’s HDX version and my iPad Air (yes, the Kindle guy uses an iPad for work): I compared the viewing experience watching an episode of The Lost Ship. The display on this Fire was one heck of a lot better in terms of sharpness than last year’s model as well as the iPad, and is the #1 selling feature (to me) for this model. That may be a combination of some better technology as well as a new vs. year-old screen.

Wi-Fi Connectivity:

After the final operating software update I mentioned above, it was fairly easy to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. My standard test for trying out new gadgets is to see how fast they run side-by-side with a known piece of equipment doing the same test at the best place of Wi-Fi in my house and the worst place where it drags. In this comparison, I had this version of the HDX sitting next to the last two year’s versions of the HDX, this year’s 7” Fire tablet, and my iPad Air, all just using a Wi-Fi connection vs. cellular connectivity.

My "normal" website test is to hit the mobile websites of FoxNews, CNN, my personalized Yahoo page, Google, and the Houston Chronicle. The ones that were usually slow on the other devices were just as slow, and for the other sites I couldn’t tell a difference in speed in comparison to this model.

Sound / Music Playback:

The two speakers are located in the back of the HDX in two not-noticeable ports: both of them are on the right (or maybe it’s on the top, depending upon your screen orientation) side of the Kindle. My test of this feature was cranking up Van Halen’s Panama to maximum volume (I always want to see if it could really play the guitar licks), and I would alternate covering one speaker up over the other: you have true stereo sound with no degradation of the sound that makes you think you are about to blow the speaker. The Dolby speakers sound really nice and you can really crank up the volume in comparison to previous versions of the Fire: you do get to hear the bass if you install and use an Equalizer app and adjust until it sounds "just right" to you. Mixing the sound with an equalizer app, and using good headphones, is really the way I want to listen to music on the Fire as you not only have a better sound experience but you’re also not disturbing others in the room. The X-ray feature is pretty neat as it displays the lyrics on the screen if you are so inclined; if you are not, it is as simple as the tap of an icon to make the lyric feature go away.

Email Setup:

Consistent with previous versions of the Fire, email setup was very easy for my main Gmail account with the software came with the Fire. Amazon has some good enhancements to their email product, so I did not have to install the third-party email app I used on previous versions of the Fire and am happy with Amazon’s email client.

New Tabs and Screen Layout:

In addition to the normal tabs Amazon has continued to make tweaks with the look and feel to the overall display such as more things to scroll through to find what you are looking for in an easier manner. Consistent with my experiences with previous versions of the Fire, I purchased the one with special offers and I don’t feel overwhelmed with ads. In fact, I don’t even notice them.

Reading Books:

Turning pages is pretty darn easy – just tap the side of the screen to go to the next page or back a page, or you can swipe your finger across the screen to do the same. You do have the feature to see the book’s description for books on your device like they have with the e-Ink Kindle which is a plus as I can’t remember what each book in my digital to-be-read pile is about. You can see previous categories and collections you may have setup on an e-Ink version of the Kindle for your books stored in the Cloud; while that is nice and has been a much-requested feature by Fire owners for years, either that feature is not available with books stored on your device or I’m just not smart enough to figure it out.

Camera:

There are cameras on this model – one facing the back and one facing the front or toward the user / reader. Focusing and taking a picture is pretty easy, and Amazon will by default store your pictures in the Cloud. I’m not much of a picture-taker with my tablet, so I can’t really comment on the quality. The icon to turn the camera on is easy to tap as I did accidentally turn it on while carrying the HDX down the stairs last night and snapped a photo of my shoes so watch out for stray taps!

Charger:

Unlike previous models of the Fire, this one DOES include a charger! If you’re scratching your head with that comment, in previous models you had to purchase a charger separately for $20 which always seemed kind of silly for Amazon to do.

Other Random Stuff:

One of the setup features in the menu is the ability to turn on a location-based service as well as a find-your-Fire feature in case you misplace it. I also like the location-based GPS feature turned on periodically so I can get a weather update on whatever city I may be traveling in for a particular day – but the paranoid side of me turns it off when I’m not specifically using it.

If you’ve never owned a larger tablet before, or are looking to upgrade from an earlier model Fire, I would recommend this one if video and apps are your thing – but make sure you purchase the higher memory one vs. the minimum 16 GB if you can afford the extra dollars as you will see better performance. If you’re comparing last year’s HDX model to this version and it is operating fine, I’d say save your money and continue to get your money’s worth out of it. I purchased the one with 64 GB as I wanted the better performance as it is my traveling companion. Kids will love it as they can read books, play games, watch TV and movies, and a whole lot of other things. Adults should like it for the exact same reasons, but while I try to minimize the amount of work-related stuff I do at home with the business apps that are available here in the Amazon App store and other places around the Internet I can also work on Excel and Word-compatible files when I have to without having to fire up my work laptop or whatever the case may be.

Love this new Fire. The size if perfect for watching movies on the go and with the added keyboard I purchased I can use it as a tablet for work. The sound seems a bit muted at times, other than that I love it.

The only option to fix a kindle after their own software update causes it to freeze, is to buy a new one. We have had our kindle fire HD 8.9 for over a year (so out of warranty), and it worked fine. However, after a recent software update, the kindle fire froze at start up. I called customer support, they offered me the typical trouble shooting options -> restart, turn off and on, hold power button down for 40s, make sure it is charged. None of this worked, they said, well, you’ll you have to buy a new one. WHAT!? How can their update, which they admit to causing software issues on kindles, force me to buy a new one? Just about any other computing device can be sent to some service center to get the software fixed, reset, etc. I asked if I can send it in so they can re-load the software through a hardwire option, they said they don’t have a service center. The only option is to buy a new one, but they’ll discount it $25 dollars, not cool.

Bottom line, unlike most computers, tablets and any other computing device, these kindles have no way of being serviced or fixing software issues. Amazon just wants you to buy a new one after the warranty is done, and they send an update that kills your tablet.

Update:

Customer service quotes: “I wish I could have an option to remotely access the kindle and reset the software however we don’t have an option to do so and since Amazon doesn’t have any service center so it is not possible to send it for repair.” ***What a scam***

“I know a lot of other companies don’t give you any options outside of the original warranty, because you are already a Kindle owner, rather than leaving you hanging we can actually get you an upgrade for your Kindle at a highly discounted rate.” ***other companies would fix the software issue, so you don’t have to replace it, again scam***

Highly discounted rate: “Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″, HDX Display, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE, 16 GB – Includes Special Offers for $308.00” ***I actually have a 64GB one, but thanks for the terrible offer***

What will happen, is I’ll send in mine, Buy this “refurbished” Kindle, then they will fix mine, and turn around and sell it as “certified refurbished” for some other sucker who ran into a software glitch caused by their own update. That won’t happen, I’ll never buy another one.

I purchased the fire tablet and after only 13 months it stop working. Amazon said it was out of warranty and would do nothing for me. I paid $579.00 for this tablet because I wanted all the bells and whistles it offered and was very disappointed that after 13 months it would no longer turn on. I would of thought they would at least offer to look and see what caused it to just stop working. After seeing the reviews of other people it seems this is an issue with the Fire HDX.. I have the smaller Kindle and have it had it for three years and it still works just fine, So if you want a kindle that will last do not waste your money on the Fire HDX.

I’ve own probably a dozen tablets including several versions of iPads, Android Tablets, and Windows Tablets. In my opinion, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ is the king of all tablets. It combines awesome specs, great performance, a great user experience, a great ecosystem, and a great amount of value. While it does miss a few features offered on other tablets, and its ecosystem still may come in behind that of the iPad, I believe the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is the best available tablet on the market.

? HARDWARE:

The HDX 8.9’s build is solid and sturdy. Its light weight and size makes it easy to hold without creating hand fatigue. The body is covered in material that provides a reliable grip. This is unlike my iPad Air which I find quite slippery. The HDX 8.9 is also a bit smaller and weighs a bit less than the iPad, making it easier to hold for long periods of time.

The HDX 8.9″ offers one of the fastest, if not the fastest processors available in a tablet. The GPU has been upgrade as well. Using the HDX 8.9 is fast. I have yet to experience any lag so far.

Its screen has the highest screen resolution and pixel density of any comparable tablet. It’s bright and looks good even in direct sunlight. It has a gorgeous screen that is great for watching movies and TV. The display is definitely one of the HDX 8.9’s best features.

? AUDIO:

Its Dolby Atmos compatible audio is definitely a unique and differentiating feature. I can’t wait to get compatible headphones to experience the enhanced sound. While I find the speakers on the HDX 8.9 to be pretty good, don’t expect a Dolby Atmos experience without headphones.

? SOFTWARE:

The HDX 8.9″ interface is simple to learn and use, making it a great pick for kids and seniors. Recently used apps and content are easily accessible via a carousel, which comes in handy when trying to return to the book I was reading. The top menu makes it very quick to find the content you are looking for. Controls are very intuitive. I believe that most people that have used a tablet before will be able to easily navigate the Kindle Fire’s interface. Newbies will find the HDX 8.9 easy to use as well.

The web browser is really quick. I believe it’s much faster than the browser I used on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 I used a couple years ago. Consider trying the Xmark app to sync your PC bookmarks with your Kindle.

Apps launch fast, just as you would expect with such a fast CPU.

For those that are more technically inclined, the HDX 8.9″ can be hacked to add the Google Play store and other additional functionality.

? FIRST START UP:

Upon starting up the HDX 8.9 for the first time, you have to follow a few set up steps, such as logging into Wi-Fi, specifying an Amazon Account, and performing a software update. After a few minutes for the update, you are presented with the home screen.

Since I already had an HDX 7″ registered to my account, my HDX 8.9″ home screen already contain my books and magazines on the carousel and my previously purchased apps were available for download. I really liked having my content available upon accessing the HDX 8.9″ for the first time.

? CAMERA

The HDX 8.9 takes decent pictures. You can touch the screen to choose where to focus. You can use two fingers to make use of the electronic zoom up to 4X. Features include HDR, Panorama, and Lenticular.

The front facing camera detected my face by putting a circle around it. Of note, if I cover an eye with my hand, face detection no longer works. 😛

Video recordings were darker and noisier than the photos under the same indoor lighting.

? ECOSYSTEM:

One reason you should consider the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 over other Android tablets is its great ecosystem. Amazon has a great store for movies, music, and TV. Amazon also has its own app store. While it doesn’t have as many apps as Google Play, I have yet to encounter an instance where I wanted an app and it wasn’t available.

Amazon also provides free cloud storage, including unlimited cloud storage for your photos (at full resolution)! It’s a nice benefit to know that all of your photos will be backed up automatically.

? AMAZON PRIME BENEFITS:

The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9’s ecosystem is further extended with an Amazon Prime subscription. For $99/year ($49 for students) you get two day shipping on eligible Amazon orders. At no additional cost, you are able to stream or download movies and TV shows. You get “free” access to over a million songs via Prime Music. You also get to borrow some books for free. If you already have Amazon Prime, there are very few reasons to buy any other Android tablet over the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

? APP STORE

I’m not a big user of apps on tablets. I use my Kindle mostly for web browsing, social media, books, magazines, and videos. Thus I don’t personally miss any apps not available in the Amazon app store.

Of note, I did see one instance of an Amazon store app that wasn’t compatible with my new Kindle (the CNN app). I suspect this will get resolved over time but it’s something to be aware of.

I do suggest you browse the Amazon app store before buying a Kindle to see if any of your critical apps are not present. Also keep in mind that you can side load apps that aren’t available in the Amazon Apps store.

? PRICE AND VALUE:

The base model HDX 8.9″ is a $120 cheaper than a new iPad Air 2. The top of the line HDX 8.9 with 4G is $135 cheaper than the iPad Air 2 with the same amount of storage. The HDX 8.9 is a tad cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and $100 cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5. The HDX 8.9 competes very well on price, while at the same time, offers top of the line specs and features. Add to this Amazon’s ecosystem and Prime benefits and the result is a device that provides a great amount of value over its competition.

? PROS:

Here is a quick list of features that make the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 the best choice among tablets:

– Best tablet specs available, including the 2.5 Ghz Quad-core Snapdragon 8084 processor, 2560×1600 resolution at 339 ppi display,
– Best e-book reader experience on a color tablet (not including Kindle e-readers)
– Custom Android OS provides a consistent, easy to use interface for non-techies (kids and grandparents)
– Free cloud storage included. Unlimited cloud storage for photos (full resolution).
– Rear and front cameras. Not all Kindles have both.
– Firefly app allows you to identify 100 million items using your camera. Soon you will be able to recognize thousands of movies, TV shows, and songs as well.
– Optional Amazon Prime benefits such as access to movies, music, and books at no additional cost
– Dolby Atmos audio compatibility (requires compatible headphones)
– Micro-USB is SlimPort enabled, allowing you to connect an HDMI or VGA adapter to the device
– Fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi
– Optional 4G compatibility
– Family profile support
– Included WPS Office lets you create, edit, view, and print Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents
– Optional Kindle Fire Keyboard is available

? CONS:

As great as I think the HDX 8.9 is, it does have its share of drawbacks. Here’s a few of them:

* Google Services and apps such as GMail, YouTube, and Google Play are not accessible. Note that Google Search can be side loaded.
* Previous generation Kindles can be hacked to add Google Services and apps but the hack isn’t available yet for the 4th gen Kindle HDX 8.9
* Note that if you access Google Services on your smartphone, you might not miss these features on your tablet!
– Doesn’t use pure Android so some users will miss a few stock Android features and updates
– No dedicated HDMI port, although a micro-USB adapter is available
– No Micro-SD slot for storage expansion
– Buttons are on the back of the device, although, I believe this will not be an issue over time
– Speakers are on the back of the device which may affect sound quality for some
– No 1080p or slow motion video recording with its camera
– No fingerprint reader
– Enterprise tablet support is often limited to iPads and Windows Tablets
– Marginal update over last year’s Kindle HDX 8.9″ (2013).

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 4TH GEN (2014) VS KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 3RD GEN (2013)

If you are trying to decide which one to buy, I think spending the 30 bucks extra for the 2014 HDX 8.9 is worth it. It has a faster CPU, faster GPU, faster Wi-Fi, Dolby Atmos audio, and a SlimPort enabled Micro-USB 2.0 port that supports HDMI and VGA connectivity via an optional adapter. I plan to get the HDMI adapter so the 2014 is definitely my choice.

Should you upgrade from the 2013 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 to the new 2014 version? Unless you are reselling or re-gifting the 2013 HDX 8.9, it’s totally not worth it to upgrade. For most typical uses, these devices are largely the same.

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 4TH GEN (2014) VS 1st GEN KINDLE FIRE or 2ND GEN KINDLE FIRE HD

Both the 4th gen and 3rd HDXes are much better than the original Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD. Performance is better and the browser is much better. Re-gift, Craigslist, or eBay those old Kindles and get you an HDX!

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9″ vs KINDLE FIRE HDX 7″

If you are a multi-Kindle household, I suggest getting one in each size. If you absolutely need to choose one or the other, I would lean toward getting the 8.9″. Browsing the web and watch videos is better on the larger display. The bigger HDX is better in every way except portability and price.

The 8.9″ is not bad in terms of portability- it’s better than the iPad Air in this regard. It’s just not as portable as the 7″.

If price is a big consideration, please note that the 7″ is pretty good. Note that the 7″ doesn’t include a rear facing camera or HDMI/VGA support, among other differences.

I own both. 🙂

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 VERSUS SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S 8.4

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is probably the best Android alternative to the HDX 8.9. It offers comparable specs and price. It has an SD card slot and fingerprint reader while the HDX does not. It also run stock Android. Some people will find this to be a huge advantage.

Ultimately the Hdx 8.9 beats the Galaxy Tab S due to its ease of use and the extra value provided by the Amazon ecosystem. With the Galaxy Tab, you get a tablet. With the HDX, you get a tablet, free cloud storage, and unlimited photo cloud storage. You also get a nice app store, music store, movie store, and book store. If you add Amazon Prime, you get access to “free” movies, music, and books.

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 VERSUS WINDOWS TABLETS

I have several Windows Tablets and convertibles in the house and none of them beat the Kindle Fire HDX in terms of a pure tablet experience. However, if you want the ability to run desktop apps on a tablet, nothing beats Windows Tablets. Thus, the decision comes down to how much you plan to use your tablet as a computer.

I do believe that Windows Tablets can someday rival the iPad and Android Tablets in terms of a pure tablet experience. Unfortunately, Windows Tablets currently see a big gap in terms of usability, available apps, and price/performance ratios.

? KINDLE FIRE HDX 8.9 VERSUS IPAD AIR 2

IPad users enjoy probably the best ecosystem of apps, accessories, and exclusive content. Niche apps are often made first for, or are exclusive to iOS. iPads have seen more support in the enterprise and in educational institutions. In addition to all of this, iPads are also great devices. If you have a Mac, use an iPhone, require apps or content exclusive to iOS, are already invested in iTunes purchases, or any combination of the above, you are probably better off getting an iPad.

However, if you are open to considering another device, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 should be at the top of your list. It’s a great device, it’s cheaper than a new iPad, and offers a lot in terms of ecosystem and optional benefits.

Ultimately, I chose the HDX 8.9 over the iPad because I’m an Amazon Prime Member and I enjoy having access to so much “free” content.

? SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

#### Carousel ####

Items in the carousel can pile up quickly. Consider adding easy to access filters to the carousel. Perhaps under the main menu you can have a Carousel filter menu like so:

Books – Apps – Games – Videos | All – Recently Used – Frequently Used – Recently Added – Pinned | Sort (Date Added|Name)

Consider allowing multiple rows on the carousel for 8.9″ Kindles.

#### Bookmarks ####

– Provide a built-in way to sync bookmarks with a PC.
– Provide a better interface for organizing bookmarks.
– Provide a way to manage bookmarks on a PC.

#### Google Apps ####

There’s probably both business reasons and technical reasons for not supporting Google Apps such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Now, YouTube, and others. The Kindle what be much more useable with these apps. I really wish there was default support for these apps.

#### Voice Search ####

Add the Fire TV’s voice search to the Kindle. Add the ability to accept vocal commands to search the default browser. Google Now support would be great!

? TIPS

– Can’t find your favorite apps in the Amazon App store? Visit 1mobile.com and download the 1 mobile app. I’ll post detailed instructions soon.
– Not feeling the Silk Browser? Download Google Chrome or Firefox (I use Firefox). You should then be able to sync bookmarks with your desktop computer.
– You can change the default Amazon keyboard if you like. I use the Google Keyboard.
– If you can afford it, you should get the Origami case. It’s great. Check out my review: amazon.com/review/R2XVZVPBMTB2LB/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00KRQRK5U

? BOTTOM LINE ? ? ? ? ?

No other tablet offers the same combination of great specs, great performance, great interface, AND great value of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Period. If you need a tablet, you need the HDX 8.9.

Unless you require capabilities exclusive to the iPad (Touch ID, some exclusive apps and accessories, enterprise support, etc.), you really should consider getting a Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. It has the same or better specs, same popular apps, and costs up to several hundred dollars less than the iPad Air 2, depending on the configuration you choose.

When it comes to other Android tablets, it’s a no brainer. The HDX interface is better, its ecosystem and optional benefits are better, its performance is the same or better, and its price is the same or better. The only disadvantage the HDX has is that it lacks Google Services and some Google Apps. Since I use these apps on my phone, this is not a big deal to me.

Do you agree that the HDX 8.9 is the king of all tablets? Let me know in the comments section below. 🙂

The Amazon Kindle 8.9" HDX is a very nice tablet -superior display over my iPAD 2 and 7" kindle HD. I thoroughly enjoy watching video on the leading edge display. Also, I can make much more use of my Prime membership video access which allows you to download TV and movies (only some are available with this option) that i can enjoy on long flights. Battery holds up well and connectivity is very straightforward and easy to use. Functionality seems to be quite fast and fairly robust. There are some issues on occasion with an application (Amazon or Google apps) getting latched up but I have not seen a perfect OS that does not exhibit such behavior. Its easy enough to get out of it and restart the app. Overall, I’m very pleased with the quality, performance, fit and finish. I recommend a cover to protect your investment. I’m presently using one of the Kamor products. Its sufficient to protect the tablet in my valese when traveling. Additionally, I researched the tablet against others on the market and it was settled by the nice ecosystem integration of Amazon’s music, video and lending library support that make it something I use alot. The available applications cover reading, editing documents, note taking and games quite well. An added plus if you are a videophile is the fact of being able to play multiple video formats – mpeg, flv, avi, etc. The Apple devices need more precise conversion if you want a home movie on your device to show your children playing in the yard, for example. Great product – thank you Amazon!

A recent update saw amazon add all kinds of apps one apparently is not allowed to delete for some reason (such as a weather app I don’t need or want, Goodreads, a calculator, etc) and they take up a crap load of space on your kindle’s hard drive, about double what I had before. It has definitely impeded my unit’s performance! Consequently, I move this from a fun little machine to a do not buy, especially if you buy a model with less than 64gb. I leave my earlier review for reference. This will definitely be my last kindle purchase. Why does some idiot always have to overthink everything?

I dinged it a star for Amazon not growing up and jealously excluding Google Play from their app store. As a result, my favorite BBC News and Live365 Radio apps are no longer available even though they both still work on my Kindle 7" HDX due to me downloading them back in January. I would also like the option of using Firefox instead of Silk. Meanwhile Amazon leaves in its store too many apps that are little more than spam or spying tools or that are just crap (such the various You Tube offerings and their Google Maps adaptation). I also hate the slow pace with which they add new apps that aren’t games (I’m not a gamer). Come on Amazon, GTFU on the Google Play issue and do some actual quality control with your app store, too. Finally, no SD card slot? Really?

Okay, now about the Kindle HDX 8.9 Fourth Generation with 64 GB of storage. After getting it three days late (thank you for your continued lackadaisical service USPS!), I’ve been playing with it a lot. As an earlier reviewer stated, this is not a business machine. It is purely for entertainment by customers like me who like being tied to Amazon’s book ecosystem. I mostly use it to watch tv (especially using Watch ESPN and the live offerings from my cable provider when I’m in parts of the house with no television (my wireless signal is strongest in my upstairs bathroom—-go figure!). I don’t think the footage looks radically better than on my Kindle HDX 7", but it does look real good, it’s bright enough and, for those times when there is a major news event and I want to watch MSNBC and CNN at the same time while reading a news forum and working on my pc, well, now I can do that with the two Kindles to supplement my television and pc. The 8.9 not only has a larger image than the 7", but the sound is far louder and goes just short of distorting the speakers when you’ve maxed it. You can’t expect a lot of SPL out of such small speakers anyway, but this is definitely the most standout feature of it from an audio standpointI haven’t gotten headphones for it because I don’t need them while with the 7" you do. It doesn’t reproduce bass very well, but again, you’d need a larger speaker and driver for that. It actually reminds me of the compressed bandwidth of analog terrestrial radio, very midrangey.

The previous reviewers complained mainly about three things: the Silk browser freezing and crashing frequently, seeing dots, shadows or rainbows due to how the screen is made or lit and the inability to charge it after a year or a year and a half because of some kind of problem with the charging terminal. Unfortunately, the browser is still pretty crashy, but if you get the 64gb hard drive it will do it less. It freezes every now and again, too, especially with graphics rich sites. But it does it less than my HDX 7" 16gb and I haven’t had to do a restart on it yet. That’s not to say it won’t happen. It just seems to be something that is the nature of the beast and is one reason why I would prefer using Firefox instead.

On the second problem, I don’t see it. Yeah, you can feel the dots on the screen, but they don’t intrude on the image on the screen at all.

With the charging problem, I’ve had this happen with a couple of name brand laptops and found it to usually be a related to something with the charger’s connector and not the machine’s terminal. I did run into this issue with the HDX 7" too, after only about seven months of use (power user), but if you tilt the charging connector upward slightly and hold it there, you can usually get it to charge. In fact, now it seems to have self corrected and charges straightaway when I meed it to. Maybe I got lucky and somehow altered the HDX’ charging terminal so that it will take some juice, but before you write off your unit try playing with the connector of the charging cable and see if it helps. If you’ve tried that, though, I don’t know what to tell you.

I seriously considered buying an I-Pad, but what they charge for extra storage capacity is just such a rip off and, for me, I want the easy access to Amazon’s bookstore. I don’t download music or movies. The Samsung line was out of the question because living in Korea in the 1990’s made me leery of anything produced there. They were producing garbage products then. Once bitten, twice shy. Given the price of the HDX 8.9, as long as you don’t look at it as a laptop replacement (and I would buy a laptop before an I-Pad unless Apple stops thinking that just slapping its badge on something makes it worth $150-200 more than the competition, not to mention the Foxconn worker abuses), this is a very decent entertainment product, especially in terms of sound. It will be the last Kindle I buy in any event unless Amazon makes it easier to personalize. If this one craps out, I’m getting a laptop because Amazon just does not seem to care enough about the long term viability of its Kindle products. That is aggravated by some of the small minded programming decisions they’ve made, as enumerated above.

The problem here with its small minded decision to effectively cut its customers out of the Google Play app store and you can’t get any of the I-Tunes apps for it either is that a lot of people are going to see the Kindle line as just too limited and control freaky. If I absolutely needed a business tablet, I would choose the I-pad since it will also do a lot of other stuff the Kindle does from an entertainment perspective. In a way, those users who still want to download books from Amazon would be better with accompanying the I-pad with a Kindle Paperwhite, even with some of its quirks But if all you want is entertainment and the 7" series is unsatisfying to you then this is a pretty okay alternative. Still, shortchanging your customers on access to any product such as apps in an age that is both app crazy and obsessed with user friendliness is a marketing minus that will tend to drive people to your competitors.

When the HDX 8.9 works, it works well. I cannot give more than 3 stars due to a major flaw in the operation of the device. If walk away from the device for more than about 20 minutes it will not quickly turn back on with a push of the power button. As near as I can tell, it seems that it will freeze/lock-up and I have to hold the power button to force shut-off the device before I can push the power button to start cold, which takes about 40 seconds. What I’ve found is that it is better for me to shut down the device if I know I’ll be away from it for a longer duration. That way, I can just push the power button and start cold rather than needing to hold the power button to force shut-off and then pushing the power button again to start cold anyway. Other than this pain, I can use the device relatively interruption free. The only issue I had with the HDX 8.9 locking up during is use is when I was trying to read the Wall Street Journal. I tried reading the Journal about 5 times and it would freeze each time while I was actively reading, then requiring me to force shut-off the device. The other reason this is a solid 3-star is because this new version of the 8.9 doesn’t have the mini-HDMI hook-up. I have the 2013 version of the HDX 8.9 and it is great to hook to any HDMI ready device/TV and watch movies or other media. The only reason I didn’t give this less than 3 stars is what I said up front, when it works – it works really well and has amazing visual quality.

Conclussion

There is not much we can do to help you. All decisions are now in your hands. We hope that after reading the information about the product above, now your insight is broader. The more you know, the better the decisions you will make.

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