We prefer this segregation of content and, like it or not, it also means tight integration with Amazon’s various stores and services. All your recently accessed stuff is off to the left of the Home screen. Instead of the old carousel of recently used apps, you now swipe between homescreens which are divided into Home, Books, Video, Games, Shop, Apps, Music, Audiobooks and Newsstand. The main interface is also more Android like. You can even set goals, such as 30 minutes of reading per day and – if you want to – block access to videos and apps until the goal has been met. You can set separate times for weekdays and weekends, as well as different time limits for watching videos, reading books and using apps. The benefit of using a child profile is that there’s excellent control over how much time (and when) they can use the tablet. The square icon brings up the standard Android app switcher where you can swipe away apps to close them. Even the on-screen buttons at the bottom are the same as Android’s. You get an almost standard Android notification / quick settings panel when you swipe down from the top of the screen and can swipe away notifications, adjust screen brightness and toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off. There’s logic here, since Fire OS is based on Android which uses friendly codenames as well as numbers.īellini is based on Android Lollipop, and it shows much more than in the past. One of the biggest improvements over previous generations of Fire tablets is the latest version of Fire OS, version 5, but referred to as Bellini. The good news is that it retains charge if you leave it in standby for a few days. Charging time can be an issue, as it takes almost six hours using the included mains adaptor.
Amazon says it will last up to seven hours, which is a few hours short of the best tablets today. (We’ve had no complaints from our eight-year-old tester who has been using the tablet for over six months.)īattery life is ok, but not great. But if you’re just crushing candy or playing other casual games, which covers virtually all kids games, it’s absolutely fine. The front camera has a paltry 640×480 resolution and is barely up to being used for Skype calls, and the rear camera produces smudgy photos and shaky, blurry videos. What you will notice is that the cameras are rubbish. But few people need anything better, and most people won’t even notice. Of course, you can put movies, music, home videos and photos on the card to free up internal space.Ĭosts are cut by using the basic versions of everything: the Wi-Fi is single-band 802.11n, and it’s a USB 2.0 port rather than anything newer. You can install apps on the memory card, but certain apps have to be installed on the internal storage. The Fire is available in only one capacity: 8GB, but you can add up to 128GB by buying a microSD card. This meant that the 8GB versions filled up within days (if not hours) and you were constantly bombarded with messages telling you delete things to free up storage. Until now, Amazon tablets have been hamstrung by non-expandable storage. But there is one major addition: a microSD card slot. You get front and rear cameras, a single rear-facing speaker, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and little else.
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