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The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is an excellent tablet, with the huge caveat that it's intended to be a money-making machine for Amazon products and services.
Buying this tablet means buying into Amazon's ecosystem, whether you're going to dive into movies, TV shows, books, apps or music, it's all going to be through Amazon.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a huge thing when considering a tablet. Some of you might want a tablet to consume media, download tons of apps and games and maybe use some productivity tools here and there. If you can live without Amazon's products and services, you're better off with a new Nexus 7 or iPad Air.
But if you're already invested in Amazon's ecosystem, or you're prepared to do just that, you can't go wrong with the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.
What's great is Mayday, which is Amazon's live assist feature. It's great to think that any time of day, you can simply tap on Mayday and you'll get connected to a real human being within seconds, ready to help you with any problem your tablet might be giving you.
We liked
Mayday is great because it offers live assistance in real time - no need for phone calls or e-mails. We also like the form factor and the display, with a 339 PPI screen and a slim and light profile at just under a pound.
We also liked the design of the device, and the layout of all the ports and buttons, too.
Amazon's integration of its products and services here is excellent, and we wouldn't expect anything less from a tablet that is basically a tool for Amazon to sell those services.
We disliked
We weren't particularly fond of the camera, but again this thing wasn't meant to really take pictures. It's just a bonus on a tablet meant for consuming media.
Another thing we aren't pleased with is the lack of more Android apps. Fire OS is built on Android, and Amazon even calls it Appstore for Android, yet you can't find many of the apps that you'd find on Google Play.
Instead, everything here is geared to pushing you through Amazon's gate so that you'll buy its stuff.
Verdict
If you want a solid and powerful multimedia tablet that is essentially a gateway to all things Amazon, this is your tablet. But if you're looking for something with more flexibility and better hardware, you're better off buying an iPad Air. The only thing you'll have to consider is whether you can justify the extra cost.
On the other hand, if you just want to watch TV and movies, read books and listen to music, and you already have an Amazon Prime account and are into Amazon's ecosystem, we have no doubt that you'll love this tablet.
