For those who are shopping during this holiday season, they may be wondering about getting a tablet for themselves or a loved one. There seems to be no doubt that the iPad 2 is going to be one of the first choices. But the people at Amazon also have a tablet to offer. It is called the Kindle Fire, and is priced way less than an iPad 2.
This year is one of those money-strapped years for many people in the Western world. The United States and Europe are suffering a great economic crisis. Nevertheless, the Apple and Amazon companies seem to be doing great and cranking out their own tablet versions, ready for new owners. The iPad 2 is a great piece of digital machinery and is the most popular tablet in the world. On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle Fire is an ingenious work that will impress many with what it can do for the cheap price.
Comparing the screens of the iPad 2 and the Kindle Fire we find some big differences. The iPad 2 has a 9.7 inch screen while the Kindle Fire has a seven inch display. The difference in digital real estate is marked, but looking at the prices, $500 dollars versus $199, the smaller screen may be attractive to many. The screens are both very clear and both use IPS, which is technology that allows the viewer to see more details from wide angles. IPS itself stands for “In Plane Switching” and is on screens that have high quality.
When looking at wireless connectivity, the iPad 2 beats the Kindle Fire. The first has the choice of Wi-Fi and 3G while the Amazon Kindle Fire only comes in a Wi-Fi model. The iPad 2 can be hooked up to receive a signal from Verizon or AT&T but there are no such choices for the Amazon model.
The operating systems are completely different. The semi-open source Android runs the Amazon Kindle Fire. This is has been what programmers call “forked” to be a version that only the Kindle has. It is meant to be a good fit with the economy at Amazon, in hopes of improving sales on the already successful Amazon website. The Android version is said to make the other Android tablets look bad. On the other hand, the Apple iPad 2 runs iOS, an in-house mobile operating system designed for the iphone as well. The iPad 2 has its own app ecosystem to support it, while the Fire has what is called a “well-curated” app store.
Last but certainly not least is the battery life for these two tablets. The Amazon Kindle Fire can go for eight hours between charges and the iPad 2 can go for ten. The difference in thicknesses of the two would seem to point to the Fire as the winner in the battery category. It is actually two hours less. Amazon designed their tablet not as a competitor to the iPad, but as a tool for a different market. The iPad 2 is used extensively for gaming by its users, but the Kindle Fire is mainly for content consumption.
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