I've seen a lot of reviews of the Kindle Fire online, and most of them were done by highly tech savvy people who work for large online magazines and blogs. To be honest I didn't feel that those reviews were very relevant to the majority of this device's buyers. It seems that the people who are purchasing the Kindle Fire want a cheap way to browse the web, play tablet games and check email. This item appeals to those who aren't really interested in specs and performance. It appeals to older adults like my mother, whom I purchased this device for. I really think she just wanted to play "Bejeweled" and "Angry Birds" and read a book or two. In fact, the first thing she did when got the Kindle Fire was set up a wifi connection and download "Bejeweled 2".
The Kindle Fire is perfect for people like my mom. Its cheap, simple, and lightweight. I don't think this tablet is anywhere near the iPad or that it should even be called a tablet. It's basically an e-reader that does a little more, but that's what a lot of people are looking for.
For what it has (e-reader, browser, apps, video streaming) and its price of $200 I would recommend this to anyone looking for a tablet to give to their non-geeky parents or grandparents, or to anyone who is an older parent or grandparent just looking to do simple tasks.
I will say that one downside is that the Kindle Fire doesn't include a camera, but buyers should also consider that today most people own a personal computer and if they don't have a webcam they can probably find one for a very low price. Of course, you could always give someone a netbook for about the same price as this tablet.
Cut to the chase:
Good for older and non-geeky people, not good for iPad geeks
