Amazon Kindle Fire

1. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe

Laptop Magazine's review of the Kindle Fire is lengthy, detailed and includes benchmark testing. Reviewer Mark Spoonauer says it is the best budget tablet ever released. "The Kindle Fire isn't an iPad killer, but it is a killer deal," he writes. "At $199, it's really hard to beat the package Amazon has put together."

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Review, Mark Spoonauer, Nov. 14, 2011

2. PCMag.comDetails/Subscribe

Sascha Segan calls the Kindle Fire revolutionary, awarding it 4 stars out of 5 and an Editors' Choice award. "While the user interface occasionally gets sluggish, we're willing to have a bit of patience to get a first-rate tablet for half of what most competitors charge," he says.

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire, Sascha Segan, Nov. 14, 2011

3. WiredDetails/Subscribe

Jon Phillips isn't particularly enamored with the Kindle Fire, giving it a rating of 5 out of 10, but he gives it a thorough examination in this seven-page review. "It does nothing very well, save video playback, running various Android apps and making the business of Amazon shopping alarmingly fun and easy," he writes.

Review: Is This Really the Tablet Everyone's Talking About?, Jon Phillips, Nov. 14, 2011

4. CNET

Donald Bell rattles off a laundry list of the Kindle Fire's flaws and missing features -- then goes on to give the tablet an Excellent rating. "Though it lacks the tech specs found on more-expensive Apple and Android tablets, the $199 Kindle Fire is an outstanding entertainment value that prizes simplicity over techno-wizardry," he writes.

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire, Donald Bell, Nov. 16, 2011

5. Engadget.com

Reviewer Tim Stevens dissects all aspects of the Kindle Fire in Engadget.com's usual wordy, in-depth fashion, complete with pictures to illustrate key points. He admits the Fire can't match the all-around performance of more expensive tablets, but he says that what the Kindle Fire does do, it does well. "The Kindle Fire is great value and perhaps the best, tightest integration of digital content acquisition into a mobile device that we've yet seen."

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire Review, Tim Stevens, Nov. 14, 2011

6. TheVerge.com

Joshua Topolsky provides a detailed examination of the Amazon Kindle Fire. The tablet is dissected in several different categories, and beautiful images punctuate the text. It won't slay the iPad, he says, but "there's no question that the Fire is a really terrific tablet for its price."

Review: Kindle Fire Review, Joshua Topolsky, Nov. 14, 2011

7. PC WorldDetails/Subscribe

As you might have suspected given the title of the review, PC World's Melissa J. Perenson isn't particularly impressed by the Amazon Kindle Fire. She finds it buggy and too single-focused for her tastes. "The 7-inch, Android-based Amazon Fire will appeal to those who buy books, videos, and music at Amazon, but it will frustrate those looking for a more versatile slate," she writes.

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire Misfires, Melissa J. Perenson, Nov. 15, 2011

8. Pocket-lint.com

While most reviews call the Amazon Kindle Fire either a budget Android tablet or a fancy ebook reader, reviewer Mark Harris likens it to a different device: media players like the iPod touch (*Est. $200 and up). Compared to that Apple device, the Kindle Fire excels, he says. "For the same price as an entry-level iPod touch, you get a bigger screen, a vastly improved video experience plus richer email and web browsing."

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire Review, Mark Harris, Nov. 18, 2011

9. Gizmodo.com

While it covers all the bases, Gizmodo.com's review of the Kindle Fire is a bit shorter than the ones found at other sites. Sam Biddle praises the simple user interface, the Silk browser and the vast number of media options offered. "It's a terrific, compact little friend, and -- is this even saying anything? -- the best Android tablet to date," he writes.

Review: Kindle Fire Review: The iPad Finally Has Serious Competition, Sam Biddle, Nov. 14, 2011

10. TechRadar.com

This review of the Amazon Kindle Fire at Britain's TechRadar.com is exhaustive, with seven pages of testing and hands-on impressions and an eighth page dedicated to listing the pros and cons of the device and issuing a verdict. Chris Smith winds up granting the Fire a 4-star rating and a firm recommendation. "The Amazon Kindle Fire represents astonishingly good value for money; perhaps the best gadget bargain of this era," he writes.

Review: Amazon Kindle Fire Review, Chris Smith, Nov. 18, 2011

11. Slate.com

In this lucid review, reviewer Farhad Manjoo says that those comparing the Fire's performance to the original iPad are missing the point -- the Kindle was never meant to compete performance-wise with the iPad. Like other reviewers, Manjoo has all manner of problems with navigation, glitches and ease of use, but in the end, he says the Fire is a good choice if your main interests are reading ebooks and streaming movies. Manjoo concludes, "I'd rate the Fire as something like 70 percent of an iPad. When you consider that the Fire costs only 40 percent as much as Apple's tablet, though, that's not a bad deal."

Review: The Underachiever, Farhad Manjoo, Nov. 17, 2011

12. Amazon.com

Amazon.com is the best place to read user reviews of the Kindle Fire, and the site hosts a whopping 16,000 of them. The vast majority is happy, and the Kindle Fire pulls down a 4 star rating overall, though some are disappointed that the device isn't more capable.

Review: Kindle Fire, Contributors to Amazon.com