Amazon's new seven-inch Kindle Fire ($199) is one of the most affordable tablets on the market. It runs apps for Android 2.3 and later, although there's a bit of a catch. The Fire is meant to run only apps from the Amazon.com Appstore for Android—not other Android marketplaces—which is a small subset of all the apps that are available for Android. However, PC Magazine's mobile analyst Sascha Segan discovered a workaround (see How to Run Almost Any Android App on the Kindle Fire). But even the workaround takes a little work.
If you're a new Kindle Fire owner, you need a starter kit.
The 16 apps that we recommend downloading first are available right in the Amazon Appstore, so you can nab them simply and quickly. Your first dozen or so apps that you install should, in theory, be the ones you end up using the most. But again, because the Amazon Appstore holds only a limited sub-group of the Android apps ever made, the best of the bunch may seem a little lackluster, so far.
Having spent a lot of time trolling around the Amazon Appstore in September, when the Kindle Fire was announced, I can easily attest to the fact that the market place has many more apps now and is slightly easier to search than before. In fact, it's even easier on the tablet itself (not that it's especially "easy," just easier). I do expect that more apps will become available at a rapid-fire pace now that the Kindle Fire is out, but I don't expect people to hold their breath.
What's not on this list are apps that come pre-installed on the Kindle Fire, which includes: Pulse for music, Audible for audio books, IMBD for information about movies and actors, Quickoffice for working with Microsoft Documents, Facebook for social networking, as well as an app for email and one called Gallery that shows a gallery of videos and pictures on the device.
As a multimedia device, the Kindle Fire merges all of Amazon's services, including Amazon Web Services, Prime, Kindle, Instant Video, MP3, as well as Amazon's new web browser, Amazon Silk. You can shop for on Amazon, read books and magazines, watch movies, surf the Web, and listen to music. But there are a few things it can't do. The 14.6-ounce device doesn't have a camera, so apps for taking photos or recording video are out of the picture, although you can view photos and watch videos that are loaded from another device or that stream through an app. The Wi-Fi enabled Kindle Fire doesn't have a 3G option, so you need to either have a wireless signal nearby or to connect the tablet to a computer to get the full use out of it.
Despite all these things that it can and can't do off-the-shelf, the Fire is an Android tablet, so it has enhanced functionality with the help some apps.
Here are 16 apps that we think you'll want to download first from the Amazon Appstore before you take a little extra time to fully load up the Kindle Fire with other apps that aren't available through Amazon.
Astrid Task/Todo
free
Astrid Task/Todo is a favorite to-do list app for Android, with reminders, syncing capabilities, a widget for getting those reminders in front of you faster, and more.
Astrid Task/Todo is a favorite to-do list app for Android, with reminders, syncing capabilities, a widget for getting those reminders in front of you faster, and more.
Convertr
$1.99
I'm always surprised how often I need a conversion calculator on all my mobile devices. Convertr is a great one for a tablet because it includes currency conversions, which I always want at hand while traveling. It also has templates for figuring out conversions on data rates, mass, length—and if you dive into the settings panel, dozen more that aren't shown off the bat.
I'm always surprised how often I need a conversion calculator on all my mobile devices. Convertr is a great one for a tablet because it includes currency conversions, which I always want at hand while traveling. It also has templates for figuring out conversions on data rates, mass, length—and if you dive into the settings panel, dozen more that aren't shown off the bat.
Cut the Rope
99 cents
What I like about the physics puzzle game Cut the Rope is its appeal to a wide audience, young and old. It's challenging enough for a grown adult, yet simple enough for a six-year old. Cut the Rope also suits mobile devices as a true casual game, one that you can dip into and dip out of without any loss of continuity in the game. Some of the short levels are simple enough to complete in seconds, while others may take several minutes after multiple attempts. But the point is, it's the kind of game that doesn't punish you for putting the game down for a moment.
What I like about the physics puzzle game Cut the Rope is its appeal to a wide audience, young and old. It's challenging enough for a grown adult, yet simple enough for a six-year old. Cut the Rope also suits mobile devices as a true casual game, one that you can dip into and dip out of without any loss of continuity in the game. Some of the short levels are simple enough to complete in seconds, while others may take several minutes after multiple attempts. But the point is, it's the kind of game that doesn't punish you for putting the game down for a moment.
Dictionary.com
free
Dictionary.com is one reference app that I find immensely useful, in part because it keeps information local, letting you look up definitions and spellings even when you're not connected to a Wi-Fi line. I also love Dictionary.com pronunciation guide (I probably consult it more than definitions), as well as a word of the day. Students, either of the English language or some specialized field of study, will love the Favorites tab, where you can save words that you frequently look up.
Dictionary.com is one reference app that I find immensely useful, in part because it keeps information local, letting you look up definitions and spellings even when you're not connected to a Wi-Fi line. I also love Dictionary.com pronunciation guide (I probably consult it more than definitions), as well as a word of the day. Students, either of the English language or some specialized field of study, will love the Favorites tab, where you can save words that you frequently look up.
Dolphin Browser Mini
free
Even though the Kindle comes pre-packed with its own Web browser, it never hurts to have a back-up. Dolphin Browser is a veritable trickster of a mobile browser. You can change this Android app's look and feel through custom themes, add capability with Add-ons, or even navigate by gesture. When you encounter a pesky mobile site, you can don a disguise—for example, you can masquerade as an iPad—to unlock the un-cropped page. Flummoxed by Flash? No more, so long as you're running Dolphin and Android 2.2. The browser lacks a full synching service, but it does support Google Bookmarks.
Even though the Kindle comes pre-packed with its own Web browser, it never hurts to have a back-up. Dolphin Browser is a veritable trickster of a mobile browser. You can change this Android app's look and feel through custom themes, add capability with Add-ons, or even navigate by gesture. When you encounter a pesky mobile site, you can don a disguise—for example, you can masquerade as an iPad—to unlock the un-cropped page. Flummoxed by Flash? No more, so long as you're running Dolphin and Android 2.2. The browser lacks a full synching service, but it does support Google Bookmarks.
Easy Installer
free
This app is the one you need to install apps that aren't in the Amazon Appstore. Note that you will also need an Android smartphone, an SD card, and a computer.
This app is the one you need to install apps that aren't in the Amazon Appstore. Note that you will also need an Android smartphone, an SD card, and a computer.
ESPN ScoreCenter
free
Sports fans will want to download an app for checking the score and following the news about their favorite teams and players. If you follow sports of all kinds, ESPN ScoreCeter should be on your Kindle Fire. It has the most comprehensive list of sports, leagues, and teams to follow, including soccer, cricket, and rugby. Another good one is Score Mobile (free), although it doesn't have rugby and it has a slight leaning toward American teams and leagues.
Sports fans will want to download an app for checking the score and following the news about their favorite teams and players. If you follow sports of all kinds, ESPN ScoreCeter should be on your Kindle Fire. It has the most comprehensive list of sports, leagues, and teams to follow, including soccer, cricket, and rugby. Another good one is Score Mobile (free), although it doesn't have rugby and it has a slight leaning toward American teams and leagues.
Evernote
free; $45 per year for optional subscription
If you weren't an early adopter of Evernote, the freemium note-taking and organization app that synchs all your files to a cloud service, there's no shame in being a late adopter of this outstanding service. Think of Evernote as your digital brain, a place to store everything from typed notes, to photos, to audio messages, to Web clips. The Evernote interface lets you access and search all your bits and pieces of information—anything you want to remember or be able to look up later. On every device, tablets included, Evernote works smoothly, looks great, and most importantly, integrates with dozens of other apps and services. What I like best about Evernote is how it automates synchronization, a fail-safe measure in case you forget to put your files back in the cloud when you're done working on them.
If you weren't an early adopter of Evernote, the freemium note-taking and organization app that synchs all your files to a cloud service, there's no shame in being a late adopter of this outstanding service. Think of Evernote as your digital brain, a place to store everything from typed notes, to photos, to audio messages, to Web clips. The Evernote interface lets you access and search all your bits and pieces of information—anything you want to remember or be able to look up later. On every device, tablets included, Evernote works smoothly, looks great, and most importantly, integrates with dozens of other apps and services. What I like best about Evernote is how it automates synchronization, a fail-safe measure in case you forget to put your files back in the cloud when you're done working on them.
HootSuite
The Amazon Kindle Fire comes preloaded with an app for Facebook, but Twitter is not included out of the box. With the HootSuite app, it's no matter because you manage Facebook, Twitter, and Foursqure from one single interface. If those big three social services aren't enough to satisfy your social networking needs, try Seesmic, which supports Chatter and Google Buzz as well.
Hulu Plus
free to download; requires $7.99 per month subscription
One of the most popular video-streaming services, Hulu, announced early support for the Amazon Kindle Fire. The Hulu Plus app is free to download, but it requires a $7.99 per month subscription to watch most content, although the app does have a selection of free content, mostly selected episodes (the pilot of Ugly Betty, for example) or funny clips from popular television shows, with an occasional full-length movie thrown in.
One of the most popular video-streaming services, Hulu, announced early support for the Amazon Kindle Fire. The Hulu Plus app is free to download, but it requires a $7.99 per month subscription to watch most content, although the app does have a selection of free content, mostly selected episodes (the pilot of Ugly Betty, for example) or funny clips from popular television shows, with an occasional full-length movie thrown in.
IMO Instant Messenger
free
As a near all-in-one instant messaging app, IMO supports chat on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber, and MySpace. Having one interface for all those programs makes for a much more elegant way to stay in touch with a technologically diverse set of friends.
As a near all-in-one instant messaging app, IMO supports chat on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber, and MySpace. Having one interface for all those programs makes for a much more elegant way to stay in touch with a technologically diverse set of friends.
LogMeIn Ignition
$29.99
This pricey app allows you to perform a pretty amazing feat: remotely control your home and office computers, and everything on them, from your Kindle Fire. For the app to work, you do have to install some software on your Windows or Mac PCs, but those programs are free, and you can install it on as many machines as you want.
This pricey app allows you to perform a pretty amazing feat: remotely control your home and office computers, and everything on them, from your Kindle Fire. For the app to work, you do have to install some software on your Windows or Mac PCs, but those programs are free, and you can install it on as many machines as you want.
My-Cast Weather
$3.99
Slightly pricey for a weather app, the four-buck My-Cast Weather does not disappoint, with charts, maps, and other diagrams that display a variety of weather conditions and factors. A free version called My-Cast Weather Lite is also available.
Slightly pricey for a weather app, the four-buck My-Cast Weather does not disappoint, with charts, maps, and other diagrams that display a variety of weather conditions and factors. A free version called My-Cast Weather Lite is also available.
Read It Later Pro
$2.99
With its Amazon Kindle roots firmly planted in reading, the Kindle Fire does make for a compact and friendly e-reader. The app Read It Later Pro lets you add web pages to your reading list, making them available offline to read whenever—even when you don't have a Wi-Fi signal. The app lets you tag pages, and saves your scrolling position as a bookmark, which you can pick up from any other device with the same app installed.
With its Amazon Kindle roots firmly planted in reading, the Kindle Fire does make for a compact and friendly e-reader. The app Read It Later Pro lets you add web pages to your reading list, making them available offline to read whenever—even when you don't have a Wi-Fi signal. The app lets you tag pages, and saves your scrolling position as a bookmark, which you can pick up from any other device with the same app installed.
Wifi Analyzer
free
WiFi Analyzer is an app that helps you find not only the available Wi-Fi spots, but the networks with the strongest signal. A clear graphical report lists what's around you and shows its comparative strength in more detail than what an ordinary mobile device will show, indicating which network has the least amount of traffic and interference, too.
WiFi Analyzer is an app that helps you find not only the available Wi-Fi spots, but the networks with the strongest signal. A clear graphical report lists what's around you and shows its comparative strength in more detail than what an ordinary mobile device will show, indicating which network has the least amount of traffic and interference, too.
Wikidroid for Wikipedia
free
Looking up information on a tablet should not only be easy, but also something you do frequently. Otherwise, what's the point of having so much data at your fingertips? Wikidroid pulls articles from Wikipedia and optimizes their display for easy reading and searching from your mobile phone. The app has elegant search functionality, too.
Looking up information on a tablet should not only be easy, but also something you do frequently. Otherwise, what's the point of having so much data at your fingertips? Wikidroid pulls articles from Wikipedia and optimizes their display for easy reading and searching from your mobile phone. The app has elegant search functionality, too.
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