The Kindle is on Fire!

I'm not into reading. Yes. This is something people often find weird since I am in law school and I have to read tons of material every single day. Well, not every law student enjoys having to read all those stuff every.. single.. day.. Well, growing up, I was just the type of kid who would rather go out and play basketball or active games with my friends rather than stay at home and huddle near a lamp and read books. I was bored with books that are "all-text." At least, the book has to have pictures in order for me to be interested in it. So I'll read magazines and comics, but not novels and hard-bound books, unless it is required of me in school.

So when Amazon first introduced Kindle in 2007, I was not really excited. Kindle is an electronic device that enables users to shop, download and store books, newspapers and magazines. What's unique about it is that the Kindle hardware device uses an "E-ink electronic paper" display that shows up to 16 shades of gray, minimizes power use and simulates reading on paper. I've seen my friends with a Kindle and they are really happy with this display, because it does not strain their eyes even after hours of reading. Imagine having all your books in one little device that you can bring anywhere. That's a dream for a bookworm. But not for me.

Early this week, Amazon unveiled their newest iteration of the Kindle and it has created a buzz all over the internet. They call it Kindle Fire. Basically, it has all the things that you want from a Kindle, only this time it is upgraded to tablet device with a color display. Now that's more interesting. You can still read books using the "E-ink electronic paper" display, but also have the full color display for your magazines and as you navigate through the device. That's a check for me.

What's more interesting is the price point of 8 gb Kindle Fire - it's suggested retail price is only $199. That's roughly around Php 10,000. Not bad. Not bad at all. That's like buying a Nokia phone with average level of features. The cheapest iPad 2, (16gb WiFi model) in the market right now sells at around $499, or roughly around Php 25,ooo. Aside from this, its going to be running on an Android operating system. Hence, you can download android apps, including games like Angry Birds and what have you. It is a tablet device so you browse online and also use the Amazon cloud storage, so the 8gb capacity wont be an issue. Downside is it doesn't have 3G, which has increasingly become a necessity for people on the go. You have to make do with using WiFi, after all, putting 3G in it will surely increase the price of the Kindle Fire.

So everyone's question is, is it an iPad killer? Looking at the specs, it really doesn't compete directly with the iPad 2. But that doesn't mean it won't affect the sales of the iPad 2. The Kindle Fire is priced so competitively that heads will surely turn. My eyes are all in with the Kindle Fire, all I want is to see one physically and check it for myself.

Now whoever said before that the Kindle is a boring device, can now shoot themselves in the head. Wait, that was me. Erase.

Entry #15

Mark Garrido