The 7" tablet in the Fire series of Amazon, known simply as the Fire, has received a few updates, including additional colours as well as expanded storage options.
The update adds three new colours — magenta, blue and tangerine — to the range, which was originally released only in black. Also, the tablet, which only packed 8 GB internal memory, can now be purchased with a 16 GB internal memory. The storage in both the versions can be expanded via microSD cards up to 128 GB in volume.
The Fire offers great value for money, being priced at $50 for the 8GB variant ($70 for the 16 GB one), but beyond its price tag, here are the five reasons to consider the Amazon Fire:
Specs
The Fire is powered by a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor and packs a 7" display with a 1024 x 600 pixel screen that packs 171 pixels per inch (ppi). It has a 2MP rear camera and a VGA-quality front camera and records 720p videos. The battery is claimed to last up to 7 hours and weighs only 313 grams. It runs Amazon's own Fire OS, which has its roots in Android.
Entertainment
The Fire comes with a one-month subscription to Amazon Prime. Not only can one avail two-day shipping, the tablet also gives users access to Amazon's vast media library. According to Amazon, Fire users can access Amazon's video and audio streaming service, which includes syndicated as well as original content. Users are also free to use Amazon's Kindle owners' library, where over 800,000 books are available for reading for free.
Additionally, the one-month Kindle Unlimited subscription gives users access to as many books as they want.
Users also have access to Amazon Underground, a service that reportedly offers $20,000 worth of apps and add-ons for free.
Optimised for Reading
Being the company that introduced the e-reader to the world, Amazon has made sure that reading on the Fire remains comfortable. Blue Shade is a special feature on the Fire that reportedly uses specialised filters to minimise blue light. Blue light is apparently similar to sunlight and prevents the human body from falling asleep. Blue Shade, Amazon claims, will make night-time reading more comfortable.
Word Runner is another feature the Fire possesses that helps users read faster. We read by scanning a page with our eyes, and Word Runner works by keeping the eyes focused on a single point and scrolls text across the point, thus boosting reading speed.
Audio Books
The Fire gives users one month of free access to Audible, Amazon's audio book service. Users can choose from over 180,000 audio books and listen to them if they don't have the time to read.
Sync
As reading on the Fire requires using the Kindle app, users can access the books they are reading across multiple devices. Users' bookmarks, notes and history are all synced across devices.
