But I suspect that the feature sacrifices will offset the price differential that might otherwise have made the Kindle Fire a significant iPad competitor especially if Apple, as it did with older iPhones, offers a lower-priced iPad 2 in tandem with the iPad 3.
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Amazon Prime members will have unlimited streaming of all the series' episodes four days after their initial broadcast on CBS, at no additional cost, and will be able to enjoy them on hundreds of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices including Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii U gaming console.
ENGADGET: Amazon expands CBS content on Prime Instant Video, lands an Under the Dome exclusive
The Prime Instant Video library now features more than 36, 000 movies and TV episodes including fan-favorite shows such as Downton Abbey, Fringe, and The West Wing and blockbuster movies including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Rango and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, for Amazon Prime members to stream, commercial free at no additional cost on Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, among other devices.
ENGADGET: Amazon expands CBS content on Prime Instant Video, lands an Under the Dome exclusive
And yet the iPad came up against serious competition in the latter part of 2011: As I wrote previously, I expect the new Amazon Kindle Fire to outsell the iPad in 2012.
Other consumers will view Surface more like an iPad or Kindle Fire and not care at all.
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So maybe a Kindle Fire fighter, not an iPad killer, but Microsoft might create something in its own category.
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Book apps for tablets like the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook record how many times readers open the app and how much time they spend reading.
In fact, there are plenty of phones with screens that are dangerously close in size to the growing breed of smaller tablets such as the Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and iPad Mini.
My focus group of 4 kids ages 5-12 also indicate a clear preference for the iPad over the Kindle Fire.
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No question about it: the Amazon Kindle Fire is the one non-iPad tablet that is gaining considerable traction in the tablet market against the Apple iPad.
With the tablet market being much less tied to cellular connections, the intermediaries behind Android are not as strong (Kindle Fire notwithstanding), and the iPad remains far ahead of Honeycomb tablets.
But, in comparison with the iPad, the Kindle Fire has a 33 percent smaller display, no cameras, no 3G wireless, less memory and only two-finger multi-touch (thus limiting its gaming capabilities).
FORBES: iPad Prospects After the Kindle Fire: 65% Market Share and Most of the Profits
There was one group that did show loyalty to its smartphone brand: iPhone owners, who overwhelmingly (77%) said they preferred the iPad over the Kindle Fire (8%) and Galaxy Tab (5%).
We already saw how Amazon responded to similar challenges in tablet computing by creating the Kindle Fire as a cheaper alternative to the iPad.
Among tablets, the iPad tied with the Amazon Kindle Fire for the lead, at 2.4 seconds each.
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The iPad Mini has trounced the Kindle Fire in daily ad impressions.
However, the market has been dominated by Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle Fire.
Amazon is anticipated to introduce a Kindle Fire to compete head-on with the iPad by introducing a larger-screen tablet.
With the Kindle Fire you can do pretty much anything that an iPad can do.
After all, the first tablet to gain any widespread consumer adoption other than Apple's iPad is the 7-inch Kindle Fire.
The Silent generation ( much like its affinity for Apple iOS) and Boomers were more likely to boost the temperature on the iPad mini, rather than the Kindle Fire HD.
FORBES: The Great Tablet Debate: Kindle Fire HD or Apple iPad Mini?
It lacks the price point of a Nexus or Kindle Fire, and it lacks the name recognition of an iPad.
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He says Kindle Fire HD has 41% faster WiFi than the latest iPad, and 54% faster than Google Nexus 7.
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Ceton Companion works on most current smartphones and tablets, including iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire and Windows Phone devices.
ENGADGET: Ceton Companion apps for iOS and Android are available, bring WMC mobile control for $5
We estimate that Q4 sell-in of the Nexus 7 is approximately one-tenth that of the iPad and 30% that of the Kindle Fire.
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The Kindle Fire has so far failed to keep pace with the iPad, which commanded 68% of global tablet shipments in this year's second quarter, compared with Amazon's 5%, according to research firm IDC.
In truth, no one really knows if Apple plans to introduced a smaller form-factor iPad (Well, I assume Tim Cook knows, actually.) But if they do decide to jump into the market with an iPad Mini to complete with the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Google Nexus 7 and other smaller tablets, you can safely bet that they will sell a ton of them.
Even though I own an iPad mini, I regularly use my Amazon Kindle Fire.
We've gathered a few of our favorite cases for three of the most popular tablets: the iPad 2, the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire.
WSJ: For Your iPad 2, Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire, Essential Tablet Tools
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