Amazon Kindle Fire tablet review roundup

    Jared Newman adds:The pricing alone is sure to spook both Apple and Barnes & Noble. ... [I]t's meant to be a dead-simple slate for consuming Amazon content. ... Amazon made no mention of Google services, so don't expect Google Maps or the Android Market...it uses a heavily modified version of [Android] that focuses more on simplicity than on advanced features. ... [It] uses a new browser called "Amazon Silk," which taps Amazon's cloud computing services to render pages faster. ... For each page request, Silk divvies up the work between the tablet and the cloud [for] quicker page loads.   

JR Raphael tells it like it is:Amazon's Kindle Fire may be based on Android, nevertheless it is not an "Android tablet". ... If you're expecting the full-fledged tablet experience, you may be in for a disappointment. ... You won't even recognize the interface. ... [A]pp purchases go through Amazon's own Android app store, which has a far more limited selection. ... [Y]ou won't have the customizable home screen with widgets, live wallpapers [etc.] ... It's possible the Android hacking community will come up with a way to root the tablet...so we could conceivably see custom ROMs. ... [It] doesn't have a camera or microphone -- so no video chat -- and doesn't have 3G connectivity or GPS functionality. ... Ultimately, it's a media consumption slate that as well runs some apps and has a Web browser...[it] may be an interesting new option. Yet [not] if you want the kind of experience and versatility you see on other tablets.   

Apple employee #8, Chris Espinosa, is "fascinated":Lost in the "Is it an iPad Killer?" hype is the audacious introduction of the Silk browser. ... Amazon is performing astonishing jujitsu on Google. ... Amazon will use its EC2 back end to pre-cache user web browsing. ... Amazon will capture and control every Web transaction performed by Fire users...intermediated by one of the largest server farms on the planet. ... Amazon now [knows] what other stores your clients are shopping in and what prices they're being offered. ... Fire isn't a noun, it's a verb, and it's what Amazon has done in the targeted direction of Google.   

Meanwhile, Sarah Rotman Epps outlines the pros and cons:Amazon is overcoming challenges to supply, channel, and partnerships. ... Kindle VP Dave Limp says they're making "millions," which is good, because that's how many we expect them to sell. ... [Amazon] will be selling the Kindle Fire at its retail partners...just in case to Amazon.com. ... Amazon [has] overcome the challenges of co-branding with Google/Android...by not including any Google or Android branding whatsoever. ... [Nevertheless] Amazon after all lacks a convincing global strategy. ... At launch, the Kindle Fire will only be available in the US. ... 50% of iPad sales in 2011 are outside the US.   

Independent analyst/consultant

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. He's the creator and main author of Computerworld's IT Blogwatch -- for which he has won American Society of Business Publication Editors and Jesse H. Neal awards on behalf of Computerworld. He as well writes The Long View for IDG Enterprise. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com. You can as well read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.