New Kindle on the block

With so many tablets flooding the market, how does the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX fare? Not as affordable as the Hudl, or as flash as the iPad and definitely not as cool as the Nexus, the Kindle has moved on from being just an e-reader. After the Kindle Fire HD, what does this tablet have that the HD doesn’t, other than the X? It has the same 7” and 8.9” sizes for you to choose from. Both of them are comfortable in your hands and while neither will take up an extra seat on the tube, they have enough screen size so you don’t have to put the tablet right to your face to read your emails. Speaking of the screen, it has been upgraded with the 7” model sporting an impressive 1920×1200 resolution (323 ppi if you’re interested). It’s the 8.9” that spoils you though, with 2560×1600 for you to drool over. The ppi’s are of course a little better too, 339 to be exact. Take your pick with the memory too, as 16GB, 32GB and 64GB on offer. Amazon has also given you the option to have 4G or 3G with Vodafone if you prefer as well as the usual Wi-Fi. It will cost you roughly an extra £100 on the 7” and £70 for the 8.9” as well as your data plan, but it’s nice to have a choice.

The main selling point if the advert is to be believed is the Mayday feature. Amazon have taken the live chat feature to another level by enabling you to receive free help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If the advert has got you a little worried that the advisor can see you in your pyjamas, as she’s drawing on your screen to let you know where you went wrong, fear not. You can see them, but thankfully they can’t see you. It is an excellent feature though and one that will no doubt find its way to other devices in the future. Speaking of the advert, doesn’t it look easy to stream a film on the HDX and project it to your television? You are going to need a dongle attached to your TV, sold separately, but it’s a nice feature and one that would make your friends envious. There’s also a pretty good 8 MP camera as well as a front facing 720p HD camera for all your selfie needs.

Amazon have certainly upped their game in the pursuit of league leaders Apple, but with so many tablets on the market, does the HDX stand out enough? It doesn’t have the sheer brand power of the iPad or the class of the Nexus 10 with its Kit Kat core. It’s great for viewing some box sets that are in your LOVEFiLM watch list, but as with the previous Kindle Fire HD, the store is lacking the choice of the Apple and Play stores, which is a shame as this is a good all round tablet.

All in all, not a bad effort at all.