Amazon's Kindle Fire & Acer's Iconia A100 Tablets

Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Acer’s Iconia A100 Tablets, two very fine Android tablets at a third to half the price of other tablets.  Consider the comparisons below.

Amazon Kindle Fire with  a customized user friendly version of Android OS a first rate tablet for half the price.  What’s not to love about the Amazon Kindle. Two distinct features not included are the bluetooth and camera features.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire 7” color Android tablet Suggested Retail: $199.

Amazon’s first color tablet

7k + apps available

At the start-up of the Kindle Fire, tips on how to navigate the interface, tap on categories for different content.  Categories: Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps, Web. Your favorites bar at the bottom of screen.  (No camera or bluetooth features.)   

Technical Details

Display 7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors. Size (in inches) 7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm). Weight 14.6 ounces (413 grams). System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer. On-device Storage 8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books. Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content. Charge Time Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB. Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers. Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8. Documentation Quick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle Fire User's Guide (pre-installed on device). Additional information available online. Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the terms found here. Included in the Box Kindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.

Acer Iconia Tab A100 Tablet is also a very fine highly recommended Tablet.  It works well with Android apps and has great multimedia features.  Iconia Tab A100 Tablet is very reasonably priced.  MSRP $329.  The short battery life is a drawback. 

Detailed Features

Android 3.2 Honeycomb The Acer Iconia Tab A100 is equipped with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the latest Android operating system with a super-smart screen scaling compatibility mode. You can access thousands of apps from the Android Market, and enjoy them in perfect resolution on the tablet’s 7" screen. Plan out your day Just a quick glance at Acer Day Planner, it’s all you need to check what’s next in your agenda, your mails, the latest news and what’s the weather like. Now you can review that presentation that just arrived by email. With Documents to go® viewing and editing Office documents it’s a breeze. With everything under control, you can just relax with a book or a magazine. On the Acer Iconia Tab A100 Tablet you can download and carry all the books and magazines you want and flip pages like on real ones! Entertainment champion Gaming, social networks or multimedia? The Acer Iconia Tab A100 Tablet is up for anything. The combination of NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 dual-core CPU, multi-touch screen, Micro HDMI port, ultra-sensitive gyro meter control and a simply stunning Dolby Mobile sound guarantees an entertainment experience like no other! Stay in Touch The ultra-compact Acer Iconia Tab A100, combining long battery life and instant access to the web, provides an amazing on-the-go experience that lasts all day. So you’ll have all the time you need for on-the-spot video conferences or chats with your friends or business partners with the 2MP front camera. What’s more you can take photos and record 720p videos with the 5MP auto-focus camera, and share your best shots and videos instantly with your friends online through your social networks.

Side by side comparison
Technical Details	Amazon Kindle Fire	Acer Iconia A100
Display	7" multi-touch 1024X600 display	7" multi-touch 1024X600 display
Size (in inches)	7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45"	9.2" x 5.8" x 2.8"
Weight	14.6 ounces	14.46 ounces
On-device Storage	8GB internal	8GB internal
Battery Life	Up to 8 hrs.	almost 4 hrs.
WiFi/Bluetooth	Yes 802.11b/g/n/No	Yes 802.11b/g/n/Yes
USB Port	Micro USB	Micro USB
Audio	3.5 mm stereo audio jack,	Audio jack and speakers
	top-mnted stereo speakers
Webcam	No	Yes
Memory Card Reader	No	Yes
HDMI	No	Yes, micro
Camera	No	5MP Back, 2MP Front
OS	Android	Android 3.2 Honeycomb

Both the Amazon and Acer tablets are very fine contenders in the tablet market.  There are sure to be Black Friday Specials.  Check back here for updates.

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