Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 - Everyeye.it

Posted on 19/03/2014 Alessandro Sordelli
It was 2011 when Amazon , with the support of Taiwan’s Quanta Computer released the first tablet on the market of Fire series. Today, with Kindle Fire HDX get to improve an already great product, just Fire HD, ultra-light tablet produced and sold by the e-commerce giant. If the initial focus of the public company was a device capable of providing the utmost experience of ebook reading, with the possibility of using the network in complete freedom, now, thanks to an incredibly defined screen with a diagonal of 23 cm and a powerful quad-core processor, we are in the presence of a terminal to rival the competition in every field and industry.
Thanks to a sample supplied by Amazon, we were able to get their hands on the latest version of the tablet screen 8.9 “. After a week of intense use, here are our impressions.

Unboxing & DESIGN

The box, black and monolithic, is not unlike other devices Amazon: in this case minimalism typically raised by e-commerce tycoon disappears, by virtue of a more graphic packaging, with some technical info on the new device. The opening of the cardboard box reveals its precious contents: the tablet (as practice wrapped in cellophane), starting guides, information booklets, a USB data cable / adapter USBmicro-B and finally to the power grid. All this shows the extreme care that the loyal Amazon know well.
We are facing a tablet with simple lines, and a pleasing design can differentiate themselves from the competition . The shell is made of unibody and magnesium, rubberized inserts glossy polymeric material (to be exact the upper band in which is housed the camera). Although debatable, the choice of use of these materials gives hardware lightness and practicality, a factor not indifferent for a device of this type. The tablet proves it comfortable to hold – thanks to the rounded edges and rubber making it easy to grip – and comfortable even on long sessions. Fire HDX 8.9 “measuring 231 × 158 × 7.8 mm and weighs only 374 grams (10 grams more for the 4G/LTE version). The frame is sufficiently thin and does not take away too much space on the screen. The physical buttons – power on / off and volume control – are not positioned on the thin profile of the device, as usual, but in the back: this makes them comfortable to press when impugnamo the tablet, but uncomfortable as soon as we begin to turn the terminal depending on the use that we make (something not uncommon), and if the same is leaning against a table or floor.

HARDWARE

The 8.9-inch screen is the strong point of the device from Amazon: we speak of a LCD panel 2560×1600 pixels (339 ppi), with higher resolution then all ‘Apple’s latest tablet, the iPad Air as well as in most of the Android models on the market. The picture quality is really unmatched , with superb brightness and colors: the contrast is remarkable to the point that it seems almost give three-dimensionality to the images shown on the screen. It would require a direct comparison to enact a real winner of this coveted award – something that unfortunately we can not do right now – but in all likelihood we are in front of the best screen tablet on the market (looking forward to see new devices introduced during the past month at CES and MWC). In support of a screen can show vivid images and incredibly realistic, we find a Qualcomm SoC suitably handsome, or the 800 quad-core Snapdragon 2.2 GHz with Adreno 330 GPU @ 450 MHz RAM memory on-board is 2 GB, now a standard for high-end tablet, while the storage is 16, 32 or 64 GB, at the option of the purchaser. The terminal is available only in versions Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n) and Cellular, thus including data microSIM slot and compatible with LTE and 4G networks. It can not of course be missing Bluetooth connectivity, available in version 4.0. The new “cut” XL Fire HDX range of mounts so the same hardware of the 7-inch version, and just like the younger brother lacks the GPS and microSD slot to expand the memory.
To cope with the consumption of the powerful processor and screen resolution greater than Full HD, Amazon engineers have opted for a battery of 4500 mAh which, according to the statements, can guarantee 12 hours of actual use. Although there has not been possible to record the cycle of battery life, we are faced with a device capable of delivering as much energy required to cover two days with average use / intensive.

SOFTWARE

One of the main objectives of the Amazon with its range of tablet Fire, is to find the right space in a market full of fierce opponents to defeat. The difficult task is to gain the consent of the public through a product that has the technical features to outperform the competition, a strong dose of practicality, a full range of software and – last but not least – an identity able to establish itself as a viable alternative. After evaluating a number of assumptions, the giant e-commerce has been considering an alternative path, creating an operating system capable of adapting to the needs of Amazon itself.
Fire OS is a fork of Android, which is a software developed on the basis of the open source code of the green robot, an “experiment” is very similar to the one recently prepared by Nokia with its new X-series: the source code is then the same, but the interface and navigation are fully redesigned. To be precise we are in the third version of this operating system Made in Amazon , code-named “mojito” and based on Android 4.2.2 (a little ‘old is true, even if not seem to adversely affect the compatibility or software on the efficiency of the operating system itself). Of course there are elements common to Android (as well as other mobile operating systems). Everywhere the notification bar at the top of the screen, which can be opened with a swipe and offers quick access to functions such as brightness control and the menu settings: at the bottom (depending on the orientation of the tablet ) there is a tab that allows you to call up a menu useful to return home or to open the recently used applications. This function is very similar to that of iOS gives us access to quick settings.
Home instead has nothing to do with Android or iOS: the main screen highlights the latest open applications and books at our disposal, just below are the latest frequently used applications and choices, while the top menu located at the top of the screen divides the content type (games, apps, books, music, etc..).
The operating system proves sufficiently functional and easy to approach, but the fork operated by Amazon also translates into a few possibilities for customization by the user, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but still a strong bond to anyone who is looking for a more malleable software. Of course, the appeal also lacks the Play Store Google, replaced by a valid Amazon App Store that has the majority of Android applications available today (with the obvious exception of the G Apps, of course, replaced the good and better with alternative software, unfortunately not always bright and efficient).