Imagine if Google banned the Dropbox app because it competes with Google Drive, or if it banned the Pandora app because it wanted people to use its own music service. Anyone can build an app and put it in the app store, even if it competes with a Google product. One of the reasons why Android has been so successful is because it's open. Again, it's possible to install these apps using various methods posted on the web, but it seems simpler to just buy a normal Android tablet and avoid the hassle. Also missing are most of Google's apps, like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube, as well as apps like Dropbox. All Kindle Fire tablets run Amazon's Silk browser by default, and it's not possible to download an alternative from Amazon. There are ways around this, but nothing the average consumer could pull off.įirst, users have absolutely no choice when it comes to the browser. This means that Amazon has direct control over what apps you'll be able to use, and some significant omissions may be enough to avoid the device entirely. There's no Google Play store, meaning that all apps must come from Amazon's app store.

The tablets are built specifically to sell content through Amazon, and they work wonderfully for that purpose.īut the low cost comes at a price. Kindle Fire tablets run an operating system based on Google's ( GOOGL 2.63%) Android, but heavily modified to allow Amazon to control the experience. While the Kindle Fire seems to be a big threat to Google's and Apple's mobile business models, it's really nothing more than a niche product.Īmazon sells its tablets essentially at cost, looking to make money when people use the tablets to buy things like movies and books.

But a tablet is more than just technical specs, and in the case of the Kindle Fire, you get what you pay for. The lower-end models are outrageously inexpensive for a tablet, with the most basic version selling for just $139. The latest entry, the Kindle Fire HDX, has technical specs that rival or surpass the new iPad Air from Apple ( AAPL 1.93%) in most areas, while selling for a significantly lower price. The Kindle Fire line of tablets from Amazon ( AMZN 4.30%) seems like an incredible bargain compared to higher-priced options.

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