Kindle Fire HD Review for Business Use

This review focuses on the productivity merits of using a Kindle Fire HD for business use.

People who work in creative job capacities and need the flexibility to move from one important subject to another, design, draw, write, or otherwise compute data and information in a dynamic marketplace, will have to consider the Kindle Fire HD as a last resort and cheap entry into the world of business productivity.

Yes, the Kindle Fire HD (referred to as the Kindle for the remainder of this review) is light years ahead of devices we may have carried only a few years ago, but when it comes to real work productivity my ancient Sharp Zaurus can actually outperform it in some key ways.

A quick list of shortfalls in the Kindle:

• No multitasking capability  (What a huge surprise!)
• Slow to load apps
• The touch screen works poorly with a stylus
• It adds weight to your laptop bag that you would rarely use
• Apps are limited to those which best support Amazon, not your productivity
• No Firefox or Chrome.  If you use favorites, tabs, and synch this is a big shortfall!
• Not all apps display information in a meaningful way, and some are just odd
• No camera or microphone, although the upgraded version does have these
• No SD slot

Okay, yes, these things cannot all be expected on an entry level consumer oriented device designed for shopping and media.  Don’t purchase this device thinking it is designed for business either.

You would do much better with the next model up but if you really want to be productive, forget the entertainment device and get the real Kindle Reader instead.  It’s easier on the eyes, cheaper, includes 3G at no extra cost and you will likely read much faster and easier.

If you want a truly productive tablet with all the jazz, get something like the Blackberry Playbook which is nearly as powerful as a laptop and not nearly as limited as the Kindle.