Review of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
/Is the high-end Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 really worth the price? This review takes a hard look at the usability aspects that come from living with and using the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 in a family environment. Having a background in educational technology, human computer interface, usability and interactive design I tend to look at things a bit differently. This review will explore the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 from the aspect of both an educational technologist and a father of four.
Physical impressions
Edge profile of the Kindle Fire HDX. Notice the edge and back angles.
The physical build of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 feels cheaper and less solid that of the previous generation Fire HD. It feels, for lack of a better term, plasticy; slippery in the hand, and hard to hold one-handed. When holding the tablet in one hand there isn't much to grip and keep it from sliding. This slipperiness is compounded by the back being sloped toward the edges. In addition, the edge of device slopes away from the screen which compounds the lack of grip by diminishing the edge that can be caught and held by one’s palm. Clearly the HDX was designed to fit in a case and not to be held directly by the user one-handed. It is much easier to flip the HDX over and hold it with screen facing away from the user. To put it bluntly, “I can’t hold the thing… and that is insanely annoying!”
Edge of HDX angles away from screen.
“I find myself wishing I had gotten an iPad mini Retina for the money. At least I can hold an iPad mini one-handed without the need for a case.”
Weight of Kindle HDX 8.9 with Origami case, 1.5 lb.
The HDX is tailor made to be placed in the Kindle Origami case and it works well. The HDX fits securely in the case thanks to strong magnets. The case improves upon the physical experience on several levels. Unlike the majority of tablet cases, it allows the device to stand in both landscape and portrait positions. The case also makes it much easier to hold in one hand thanks to the flat back. Like the iPad’s Smart Case, it automatically wakes the screen when opened. One of the marketed features of the Origami case is that it redirects the sound of the HDX toward the user for a richer experience. I found that the sound in the case essentially same as laying the device against any hard flat surface. Amazon has also included some magnetic wizardry that launches the camera app when the HDX is slid up in the case. However, the numerous magnets used in the Origami case also nearly double the weight of the overall tablet package. Taking the weight of the HDX’s 13 oz. and adding the 11 oz. case makes for a 1.5 lb. device.
The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9's screen is one of the best I have seen. It is extremely sharp and crisp with excellent color representation and saturation that make fonts and images look terrific. The placement of the ambient light sensor is unfortunate and causes the experience to be less than stellar. The light sensor is in the side bezel, approximately 1.25" to the left of the camera. When holding in one hand in the portrait orientation the users thumb falls on or near enough to the light sensor for it to constantly adjust the screen brightness. In addition to the high resolution screen, the HDX does have decent audio with good separation for stereo audio.
Side-by-side Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, iPad Mini with Retina and iPad Air with screen edge illustration to ease comparison.
Top left aligned screen illustration for true comparison.
Amazon likes to compare the HDX 8.9 to an iPad Air which has a 9.7 inch screen. After using the HDX, it is most comparable to an iPad mini Retina with an 8 inch screen. When compared side by side, the HDX 8.9 and the iPad mini's screens are the same width when in the portrait orientation with the HDX's additional screen real-estate at the bottom. The illustration provided aligns the screens of the HDX 8.9, iPad mini and iPad Air to give a true representation of the their sizes and relational aspects. The HDX screen is also a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is great for watching movies but not as native for reading text as discussed in an previous post, Post One Year Review and Reflection on iPad, Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Although not illustrated in the graphic, the advantage of the HDX 8.9 over the Kindle HDX 7 is the width of screen that makes for a more pleasing experience when reading in the portrait orientation.
Soft skills…
Where the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 truly shines is with video, Amazon video. HD video is formatted in 16:9 aspect ratio and is the reason for the Kindle’s 16:9 screen. If one is into using a tablet as another TV screen the quality of the HDX is terrific. Quality combined with the ability to download videos for offline viewing makes for a really nice feature. However, this ability is only available for Amazon provided content. The Amazon’s X-Ray feature makes for an easy way to learn more elements of the programing, especially individual actors and what other works they appear in.
Compared to an iPad, the Kindle interface is not as intuitive for a novice user or a three year old to function in. Unlike an iPad, there is no physical home button for jumping out of an app and returning to the home screen. Even as and experienced user I have found it frustrating to exit particular applications. For example, when reading a book one has to tap the middle of the screen (while hoping they don’t lose their place by accidentally jumping forward or backward) to get the popup-tab to display along an edge. Then the user has to tap or drag the popup-tab to reveal the tray allowing the home icon to be selected.
Reading children's books on the HDX 8.9 worked well, especially when compared to the 7" Kindle Fire HD (explored in an previous post). I was able to read my three-year-old's picture books without having to enlarge the text. However, most picture books did have white boarders top and bottom due to their lack of formatting to fit on a 16:9 screen
My three year old using the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
One of Amazon Kindle Fire’s biggest selling features to parents is Kindle FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited. The FreeTime feature allows for easy sharing with a child, an app essentially that locks the device to the preselected activities and apps. FreeTime uses apps, books and videos previously purchased and selected. Where FreeTime Unlimited is a subscription service that cost $1.99 a month but allows the child to use an Amazon age appropriate library of apps, books and videos. However, FreeTime Unlimited is not as beneficial as I first believed. The selection of items available in FreeTime Unlimited remind me of sorting through the clearance bin of a brick-and-mortar bookstore or a garage sale late in the afternoon. Plus many of the books that I have attempted to read with my three-year-old are poorly formatted. One of which a third of the words were off the screen making it practically unreadable forcing me to make up the parts of the sentences that were missing. Several of the games offered are simply light trial versions of a game which then at some point ask the user (in this case my three year old) if they would like to purchase the full version. At least one game stopped responding completely when the answer no was selected. We have not really explored the videos available because we attempt to keep tablet use for engaging in reading and games.
The Kindle’s new Quiet Time feature is a nice addition to the Fire OS. It is similar to the do not disturb feature in iOS and allows the user to easily and quickly suspend notifications. This allows for distraction free reading or distraction free anything else. Notifications are among the most common complaints about reading on an electronic device. They often cause the reader to break concentration, end a deep reading experience and switch tasks.
The Mayday feature is very beneficial, especially for the novice user who hasn’t fully learned their way around the interface. Once activated, a helper comes on the screen and is able discuss audibly with the user and draw directions directly on the screen. In my experience the helpers have been knowledgeable, helpful and very polite.
Skype and OfficeSuite are two new apps to the Kindle that are to come preinstalled. Neither of these came preinstalled on my Kindle. However, with a Mayday call the helper was able to guide me through purchasing them and giving me credit for them in the Amazon App store. Skype works well with clear audio and video. The OfficeSuite is compatible with Microsoft Office and allows for saving to and opening from these cloud services: Google Drive, Dropbox, Box.net, SugarSync and SkyDrive. Curiously, Amazon’s own Cloud Drive service is not on the list of available services.
Is it worth the price?
Is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 worth the $379 for a 16GB model with adds? This question gives me pause. One then must then compare it directly to its nearest competitors, the closest of which is the Apple iPad mini with Retina 16GB model at $399. As mentioned before, Amazon's marketing department attempts to compare the HDX 8.9 to the full size iPad Air and sell on the price difference. However, as noted the iPad mini Retina is its closest comparable which brings the price difference to a cool $20. The iPad is not add supported and when the fee is paid to Amazon to get rid of adds (Amazon refers to them as “special offers”) on the Kindle, the price rises to $394. One can easily hold the iPad Air or mini in one hand without constant fear of it slipping out of hand. The Kindle was designed specifically to fit within Amazon's Origami Case ($69.99 retail) and not directly in a human's hand which brings the true cost to $459.99. The Kindle operating system, along with the applications offered, truly lacks the polish and usability finesse offered by iOS. The Kindle is limited to the content offerings of Amazon through the Amazon App store. One might claim that Apple iOS devices are limited to the Apple App store which is true. However, Apple doesn’t limit the apps from competitors or the content available. For example, on an iOS device one can choose to read iBooks, one can read Kindle Books, Google Play Books, Nook Books, or a host of other book providers on an iPad. However, on a Kindle one can only read Kindle books. The Apple App store serves to ensure a constancy of experience but the Amazon App store serves to limit content and offers far fewer items and apps compared to Apples iOS. These shortcomings are easy to overlook at the Kindle Fire HD 7's price point of $139, but for the HDX 8.9 $379 price point (true $459.99), one expects a more refined experience combined with greater versatility. At the near $400 price point the HDX just doesn’t compete.
Summary:
- Excellent screen with terrific clarity and color saturation though it is in the 16:9 aspect ration which is great for video but not necessarily for reading
- Good sound but in my opinion it is a stretch to claim Dolby quality
- Extremely difficult to hold one-handed. Case required for any sense of security when holding one-handed
- Kindle Origami is good at what it does but nearly doubles the weight of the device and brings the overall package to 1.5 lb.
- QuietTime and Mayday are welcome feature additions to Kindle OS
- Kindle OS not as intuitive as Apple’s iOS
- Restricted to content available through Amazon
- Kindle FreeTime Unlimited not as beneficial as first believed
Conclusion:
At the Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9’s price point, it is not a great value proposition when compared to alternatives such as the Apple iPad mini with Retina.
Side Note:
After writing this review I saw something new in the latest Kindle Tablet TV commercial, New Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 vs. iPad Air. Pay attention to the hand models' hands and grip on the devices. On the iPad Air the hand model has somewhat of a relaxed grip. The hand model holding the Kindle HDX 8.9 appears to have a death grip on it, thanks to its awkward angles and slippery back.
Somewhat relaxed grip on the iPad Air.
Death grip on the Kindle HDX 8.9.
See for the commercial for yourself below.
