Sam asks:
What’s the difference between a Kindle and an Android Tablet?
It depends on which model of Kindle you’re talking about. If you mean a Kindle eReader and an Android tablet, there’s a huge difference. The eReader is designed for reading and not much else. If you mean a Kindle Fire tablet, the two are very similar. In fact, a Kindle Fire tablet is an Android tablet.
But it’s a special customized version of Android designed to work with that tablet and with Amazon apps.
Let’s look at the differences:
The thing you’ll notice first is the interface. A typical Android home screen looks like the image below and may remind you of a PC desktop . Your apps are arranged however you placed them and stay static until they are moved.
The Kindle home screen is called a carousel and will focus on your recently read Amazon eBooks, recently played Amazon music, recently viewed videos and recently used apps.
For the vast majority of Android tablets, you download apps from the Google Play Store.
On a Kindle you use the Amazon App store. You’ll find many of the same apps, but not all of them. Sometimes, you’ll have to wait a bit for a Kindle optimized version of an app to become available. This means fewer apps and sometimes a longer wait for new, popular apps. On the upside, it also allows Amazon a level of quality control you might not find in the Google Play Store, but your selection can be limited.
You are also limited to using Amazon’s Silk browser for surfing the Internet. Not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a pretty fast browser.
If you use a standard Android tablet, you can choose between browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera or the standard Android Browser.
With a Kindle Fire, you are limited to reading Amazon books. With a standard Android tablet, you can download the Kindle app for Kindle books, the Nook app for Nook books and you can read books from the Google Play Store as well.
For a long time, Amazon Prime members couldn’t access features like Prime Video from non-Kindle devices. That’s changed now and members can download an Amazon app that allows them to read Kindle books, play Prime Music, Watch Prime Video and pretty much do nearly everything on an Android tablet that you can on a Kindle Fire, with the added option of using the Google Play Store.
Fire Tablets are nice devices, especially the high-end HDX versions, but they can be more expensive than some Android tablets. An 8.9″ Fire HDX costs $379 while you could get a similarly sized Android tablet on sale with a keyboard case for just over $100.
~ Cynthia
I have a Kindle Fire and get ebooks from BookBub (the free ones of course) and I wanted to loan one of the books to my husband’s Nextbook 7 (2.3 version that our son gave us as he prefers his smartphone) and I can’t. It’s evidently too old an operating system (Gingerbread?) I can get Bookbub books for Kobo, but they don’t have all the titles that Amazon has. The use Kindle anywhere app does not work on the Nextbook.
Kindle Fire Not Limited to Amazon books. I use my Kindle Fire HD with library books. Works well with County and City Libraries. I can also use Overdrive to read an assortment of ebooks
Eric, you can use an Kindle Fire for Overdrive, but those books are actually processed through Amazon to be downloaded to your device. Or you can choose to read them online through the app.
I just bought one kindle fire now and am feeling like am being buried alive the screen is sometime unsresponsive downloading apps isn’t as fast as other tablets I have had in the past I mean android and apple.
I guess am sending it back tomorrow .
I’m surprised to hear that. I have a Kindle Fire and I find it to be the fastest Android tablet that I’ve ever used. Before sending it back, I’d suggest doing a factory reset or perhaps considering an exchange, it’s possible you may have a defective one. Have you contacted Amazon support? I’ve found them to be very helpful.
i wsh if u could tell me that whether v can download papers and articles relatd to tourism and commerce
What’s the difference between kindle fire and the new Amazon fire kindle? Will the tablet be like an android ? Thanks
Sorry I mean the new Amazon fire tablet
I am about to purchase (now that’s a dinosaur word lol) a kindle and would like a recommendation please. As I’m a dinosaur would you let me know if the books are already on there or how do I go about getting 10,000 books to read on this device – thank you <3
It’s really easy to get books. No they aren’t there. You can download library books from Overdrive if you go to your library’s website. They are free. Plus Kindle will give you free books you can download. I just do the downloads when I’m home connected to my home Wi-Fi. Amazon has lots of books you can download some for free. Plus Bookbub has free books and ones for sale you can download to your Fire. I like the fire because it is lit and I can read it at night. It also has a way to dim the light when my husband is driving and I’m trying to read so it doesn’t bother him.
Just wondering if this site is still working. I have some questions. PLEASE, email me, and let me know if y’all are still up and running. Thanks bunches.
Yes, it is!
Hello. And Bye.