What you should know:
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is available in several models. Without cellular, the 16GB model costs $299 and the 32GB model costs $369. With cellular, a 32GB model costs $499 and a 64GB unit costs $599.
At 9.45 by 6.50 by .35 inches (HWD) and 1.29 pounds, it's smaller and slightly lighter than the Nexus 10, the iPad, and other 10-inch tablets, which makes sense; after all, its screen is a bit smaller. Like most larger tablets, it naturally orients itself in landscape mode, with the 1-megapixel camera at the top and the power and HDMI ports at the bottom. The headphone jack and very flat Power and Volume buttons are on the right side. The back panel is covered in a soft-touch material, which feels great, but shows fingerprints. There's also a shiny black stripe running the width of the tablet. The stereo speakers show at either end of this strip.
The 8.9-inch screen is a good-looking 1,920-by-1,200 IPS LCD panel with relatively deep colors. It's outmatched by the competition; the Nexus 10, iPad 4, and even the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ all have even tighter screens that pop more.
AT&T 4G LTE performance on this tablet was solid, with download speeds averaging about 13.5Mbps and uploads clocking in around 6Mbps. The tablet really benefits from the dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi. While connected to a fast corporate network on the crowded 2.4Ghz band, the Fire averaged 11Mbps down, but kicked up to 31Mbps when switched over to the 5GHz band. That means you can transfer a 1.4GB movie in six minutes as opposed to 16.
What it offers:
The 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD is the top low-cost large-screen tablet you can buy, but to get the best bang for your buck, go for the Wi-Fi-only version.
The advantage:
Very easy to use. Least expensive tablet data plan available. Amazon Prime members get lots of video and book content. Multi-user parental controls.
The unfavorable:
Other tablets have more apps. Speed is just okay, not great. User interface is very shopping-oriented.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is available in several models. Without cellular, the 16GB model costs $299 and the 32GB model costs $369. With cellular, a 32GB model costs $499 and a 64GB unit costs $599.
At 9.45 by 6.50 by .35 inches (HWD) and 1.29 pounds, it's smaller and slightly lighter than the Nexus 10, the iPad, and other 10-inch tablets, which makes sense; after all, its screen is a bit smaller. Like most larger tablets, it naturally orients itself in landscape mode, with the 1-megapixel camera at the top and the power and HDMI ports at the bottom. The headphone jack and very flat Power and Volume buttons are on the right side. The back panel is covered in a soft-touch material, which feels great, but shows fingerprints. There's also a shiny black stripe running the width of the tablet. The stereo speakers show at either end of this strip.
The 8.9-inch screen is a good-looking 1,920-by-1,200 IPS LCD panel with relatively deep colors. It's outmatched by the competition; the Nexus 10, iPad 4, and even the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ all have even tighter screens that pop more.
AT&T 4G LTE performance on this tablet was solid, with download speeds averaging about 13.5Mbps and uploads clocking in around 6Mbps. The tablet really benefits from the dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi. While connected to a fast corporate network on the crowded 2.4Ghz band, the Fire averaged 11Mbps down, but kicked up to 31Mbps when switched over to the 5GHz band. That means you can transfer a 1.4GB movie in six minutes as opposed to 16.
What it offers:
The 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD is the top low-cost large-screen tablet you can buy, but to get the best bang for your buck, go for the Wi-Fi-only version.
The advantage:
Very easy to use. Least expensive tablet data plan available. Amazon Prime members get lots of video and book content. Multi-user parental controls.
The unfavorable:
Other tablets have more apps. Speed is just okay, not great. User interface is very shopping-oriented.
