I’ve been asked before what type of tablet I would recommend and usually I’ll say that you can find very good tablets from various makers for Android, Windows, and iOS operating systems at a variety of prices. iPads are great pieces of hardware, but they start at $329 and run as high as $1299. There are literally hundreds of Android tablets out there at very low prices, but the sad fact is that most of them aren’t very dependable.
If you want the unbeatable combination of a great piece of hardware, a low price, and excellent customer support, I suggest the Amazon Fire Tablet. You can get a 7″ model for $50. My husband and I have each had two Fire tablets, and I have to say we never experience a hardware problem with either one of them. They work great for surfing the net, watching movies, reading books, playing music, playing games, and almost anything else you could think to use a tablet for.
According to the American Customer Sentiment Index, Amazon’s devices rate second only to Apple in customer satisfaction. Apple devices receive a score of 83 and Amazon devices come in second with 82. But try finding an Apple device for fifty bucks.
There are a couple of qualifications to that recommendation. The Fire is an Android tablet, but it’s a special version of Android, designed to work best with Amazon products. You won’t be able to download apps from the Google Play store, you’ll have to stick with Amazon’s app store. I got one of these for my aunt, but she chose to stick with a 10″ generic brand tablet that kept cutting in and out because her favorite game wasn’t available in the Amazon store. So, if there’s a game you absolutely have to play or an app you need to use, make sure to check that it’s available for the Fire Tablet before you buy one.
Also, some popular apps like Microsoft Office aren’t available for the Fire. There are some decent Office substitutes, but that is certainly an app choice that I miss having.
As an avid eBook reader, I enjoy having books take center stage as they do on the Fire. Note that while you can read Kindle books on a Nook tablet, iPad, Android, or Windows tablet, you can’t read Nook or iBooks on your Fire tablet.
This device is also my go-to music player. You can use popular streaming apps like Spotify with this device.
I have an Amazon Prime subscription which gives me not only free 2-day shipping on many items, but access to a video library of movies and TV shows, and a music streaming service. If you’re getting a Fire, you don’t need Amazon Prime, but I strongly suggest it.
You can click the picture of the Fire tablet below to check out the Fire Tablet at Amazon.com. Since I’m part of the Amazon Associates program, I will get a few pennies if you purchase the tablet (or anything else) after clicking the link, but you certainly aren’t obligated to purchase.
You’ll also probably be pretty darn happy if you purchase an iPad, Windows Surface device, or any of the Galaxy tablets that Samsung offers.
My wife & I just got ours! Is it possible to use your gmail address, instead of your email address on Amazon Fire? With out a subscritsion, is Spotify the only free music you receive?
A Gmail address is an email address. You can set up any email address you want with the email program including Gmail. You will have to use the email associated with your Amazon account to register the Kindle, but that can certainly be an gmail address.
As far as music, there’s also Pandora and I Heart radio among others