Kindle Fire / Fire HD finally arrives in Europe

[Guest PaulOBrien]

It's been quite a long wait compared to our American friends, but the Kindle Fire and Fire HD are finally shipping in Europe!

Available only in the 7" guise with with 8GB (regular Fire), 16GB (Fire HD) and 32GB (Fire HD) capacities, the devices start at a market leading £129 and are available for delivery tomorrow, via the Amazon website of course.

I have to say i've been sorely tempted to pick one up (as a former Kindle Fire owner) but i've resisted... have any of you guys pulled the trigger and how are you finding your new toy? Let us know in the comments! :)

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[Guest Pakatus]

Power VR instead of Tegra..and no SD is a no from me :) rather wait on 32Gb Nexus 7 or the new Sammy 10

[Guest jimac]

Honestly (for me at least) I think they may have missed the boat.

Maybe that is a little over-dramatic, but I'm sure that the Kindle Fire range will not enjoy the sales success in Europe that would have been possible had they launched 6+ months ago.

If they had pulled their fingers out and made the Kindle Fire available across Europe (and other major territories) within a couple of months of the US release, they probably would have cleaned up.

As things stand there already seems to be products that, from my perspective, have most of the (large) bases covered.

The Nexus 7 selling like hot cakes, which will please the majority of people in the market for this kind of device. It's well spec’d, well priced and already out there in large numbers - people who never considered kit like this before are buying them based on seeing and using their friends/colleagues. With models in the pipeline offering more internal storage and 3g connectivity, I think Google/Asus have done a good job so far.

There is the Ainol Novo 7 Crystal (Aurora 2 is no longer made, avoid the Fire/Flame), which is a fantastic device.

Considering it can be had for a (quite frankly ridiculous) £75, I haven't seen anything which comes close to it for value for money yet.

In truth, it is 85% of the Nexus 7 for less than half the cost.

So, that's the budget end of the scale covered.

For those wanting the "Premium" device, the iPad mini will be available shortly.

For kids or more rough environments, as was posted on here recently, there is the NABI 2.

For small and large (7" and 10") frm factors, there are devices which cover the target markets above.

I think the success (or lack thereof) of the Kindle Fire range will be down to the might of the Amazon marketing machine. I hope they've oiled the wheels!

What am I missing? With the piles of tech you must have laying about, what makes you want a 2nd gen Fire or Fire HD? What do you think the key selling point/attractions are, given that the Amazon app store/Kindle is available on other devices?

J

[Guest rferrett]

Wow the Novo Crystal 7 looks crazy good value, though the screen resolution would probably put me off.

Wonder when they will release one with a 1200 * 800 screen?

[Guest jimac]

There is other models in the Novo 7 range that have 1280*800 IPS display panels (The Flame/Fire for example).

There is also a slew of quadcore devices due to come out November/December.

Why would the resolution put you off?

I think 1024*600 on a 7" screen is quite acceptable (I am writing this on a 19" LCD panel with a 1280*1024 resolution, and that still looks fine).

I would look at one first if I were you. Genuinely, most people I've shown the Aurora2 and Nexus7 don't notice and difference in the screens. I wouldn't buy one of the 800*480 items (old stock) look a bit shabby and duff old SoC. Incoming models are:-

NOVO7 Flame II

quad-core, 1280x800 (IPS), 16GB, 5000mAh (Web: 8h), Dual Camera (2&5MP), Flashlight, Bluetooth

NOVO7 Venus

quad-core, 1280x800 (IPS), 8GB, 4000mAh (Web: 7h), Dual Camera (0.3&2MP), Bluetooth, GPS

NOVO8 Dream

quad-core, 1024x768 (IPS), 8GB, 6000mAh (Web: 8h), Dual Camera (0.3&2MP), Bluetooth, GPS

NOVO10 Hero

dual-core, 1280x800 (IPS), 16GB, 8000mAh (Web: 8h), Dual Camera (0.3&2MP), Bluetooth

NOVO10 Hero II

quad-core, 1280x800 (IPS), 16GB, 8000mAh (Web: 7-8h), Dual Camera (0.3&2MP), Bluetooth, GPS

NOVO10 Captain

quad-core, 1920x1200 (IPS), 8GB, 10000mAh (Web: 10h), Dual Camera (0.3&2MP), Bluetooth, GPS

All models with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), USB 3.0 and the usual 1 GB DDR RAM, HDMI, micro SD, WiFi, etc.

The quad-core SoC is an ACT-ATM7029 (CPU: ARM Cortex A9, GPU: GC1000), which is a bit rubbish in my opinion, the GC1000 is a bit duff. Seems a step backwards from the Mali400 the AMLogic Dual core SoC they have been using.

All 8 and 10.1 inch models have two integrated speakers.

Edited October 25, 2012 by jimac

[Guest netgroover]

What you have to remember is the most successful devices are linked to a strong eco-system, kindle ereaders and ipad/ipods are prime examples of this. The nexus 7 hit a price point that has made them extremely popular, but your parents probably don't have/want one, and this is where the kindle fire comes in. As a media content device it has the lot, including Lovefilm streaming, now if Amazon have simplified the UI as well so that anyone can use it, then with the Kindle brand it could have the mass-market appeal of an iPad.

[Guest Rob.P]

What netgroover said pretty much sums up why this will be an xmas present for the missus, suits her needs perfectly and after having the first kindle I know she'll use it and consume the type of media that Amazon sell.

Horses for courses, wouldn't be the sort of device I'd get for myself, I'd be more of a Nexus 7 person, but that's just because I don't need the eco-system approach.

[Guest Simon O]

The majority of people on this website aren't in the target market for any of the Kindle Fire tablets. That market is existing Kindle users or those that want to own a Kindle device that can do much more than books.

And stop thinking of the Kindle Fire as an Android tablet and start thinking of it as an Amazon tablet. Yes it runs Android under the hood but it's a very different device from your Ainol, Nexus 7 etc etc.