Small Electronic Tablets - Kindle Fire 7” HDX – an Example

by Ron Fugazzi 4-2015

There Are Many Choices for Portable Electronic Devices

Laptop computers – desktop replacement, portable, ultra-portable.

Laptop/tablet combinations.

Large tablets, small/mini tablets,

Large smartphones.

Some of the Factors in Chosing a Device Include:

Features

Operating System

Cost

Ease of Operation/Maintenance

Personal Preference

Features/Capabilities

Typically, large laptops have the most hardware features

Smaller, lighter weight laptops often have fewer hardware features to save weight and space.

The smaller the device, the smaller the built-in screen.

Input/output is more difficult with smaller devices. Full sized keyboards, become cramped, or non-existent and replaced by on-screen replicas.

Operating Systems (OS's)

Laptops (general use): Windows, Mac OS.

Combination laptop/tablets: Windows

Tablets: Apple iOS, Android, Chrome

Cost

There is a lot of cost overlap between types of devices you can find quite inexpensive computers and very inexpensive tablets, but you can also find pricy devices of every type.

Cost has much to do about device features and sometimes vendor (apple devices are typically much more expensive).

If on a budget, you will have to trade-off features and possibly vendor to favor cost.

Ease of Operation/Maintenance

General purpose computer operating systems are more difficult to learn and maintain. (The Mac OS is thought by many to be easier to learn and to maintain.)

Tablet/Phablet operating systems such as Apple iOS and Android require little or no maintenance per se and are relatively easy to learn.

Personal Preference

Personal preference/need can be an over-riding factor in choosing a device:

Windows vs Mac OS. IOS vs Android mobile operating systems. Reports of poor tech support/service. Bad experience with previous hardware. Screen size/resolution. Ability to add hardware features. Built in keyboards, optical drives, camera(s).

Lets Set Some Criteria and Choose a Device to Explore

Criteria:

Ease of learning/use and relatively low maintenance. Light weight and easily portable. Screen size is large enough to allow easy reading/use. Use is mainly for Internet Access, email and multimedia (no heavy document creation). Cost not to exceed $200.

What Device Type Best Fits This Criteria?

Computer OS's are difficult to learn/use and maintain. Tablets and some smartphones (phablets) fit this criteria better.

Large/small tablets and phablets are lightweight and very portable.

Large/small tablets are easy to read. Phablets may be too.

Tablets are easy to use for Internet access, email, and multimedia. (Phablets work too, but may have too small a screen for some.)

Many tablets and most phablets cost much more than $200 and phablets require a voice and data plan to be useful.

Small tablets seem fit these criteria better than any other device.

Best Budget Tablets of 2015 (per C/Net)

Kindle Fire 7” HDX – Could be a Good Choice

Exclusive 7" HDX display with high pixel density & perfect color accuracy (100% sRGB, 323 ppi / 1920 x 1200).

Enjoy more than 33 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, Android apps and games.

Ultrafast 2.2 GHz quad-core processor for quick app launches and fluid graphics.

Free, live video support 24x7, 365 days a year: Mayday.

Front-facing 720p HD camera (no rear facing camera).

2 GB of RAM, with 16, 32, or 64 GB storage and free unlimited cloud storage for Amazon content.

Stay connected with fast web browsing, and email and calendar support including Gmail and Outlook.

The Kindle Fire –A Good Choice for You?

An excellent choice for individuals wanting to do basic things such as reading, viewing media, and Internet/email.

An especially attractive choice for those who want/need a free, immediate source for problem resolution.

Not especially good if you want to load lots of apps or take pictures.

Mayday Help May Strongly Influence Choice

The Mayday button connects to an Amazon Tech advisor on your Fire Tablet. The advisor guides you through any feature on your device by drawing on your screen, walking you through how to do something, or doing it for you.

Mayday is available 24/7 365 days a year for free. During your session, you will be able to see your Amazon Tech advisor live on your screen, but they won't see you.

Kindle Fire HDX 7 vs iPad Mini (Paraphrased Professional Review)

Both screens are excellent, the (Retina) Mini just edges ahead of its rival, due to its extra size and purer whites.

Due to its premium build, the Mini wins the design round, as Apple products tend to do.

For the sheer number of quality apps available from the Apple App store this feature goes to the iPad Mini too.

The iPad Mini's performance matches the HDX's power, so this one's a draw.

For a quality, easy-to-use tablet the Fire HDX won't disappoint, especially when you can snap it up for substantially less than the iPad Mini.

My Experience With Small Mobile Devices

I have a Kindle Paper White and an iPhone 6 Plus, but . . wanted to experience a small tablet running Android OS without spending much money. I bought the Fire 7” HDX.

After using these devices (and desktop and netbook computers), I have decided I can do most things on my iPhone Phablet when away from home (and when at home use my desktop computer).

No one device can serve my needs.

How about you ??